Family Secrets
by whitedove03
Summary: Very AU. John is still in the FBI and is working on a new case that stirs up old secrets. What happens when this new case leads John to Llanview and his destiny? Read to find out. NCS rating in chapter 17
1. Chapter 1

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

This is a John fic and I am not sure if Natalie will be in this at all. It is also an AU fic.John hasn't left the FBI yet and its only about 3 years after Caitlin's death. Michael lives and works in Llanview but John hasn't gone to visit him. He is working on an important case instead. This one is also going to be posted on and probably won't get updated as frequently as quickly as I would hope.

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**Chapter 1**

John sat in his office at the Atlantic City FBI headquarters lost in thought. He had been contemplating taking a vacation to visit his brother in Llanview PA. He hadn't seen is brother in months. But that would have to wait until he was done with this case. After Caitlin had been murdered he hadn't wanted to socialize with anyone. He had his work and that was enough. Currently he was working a cold case involving a kidnapping ring. He was waiting for a contact to call him and was getting pretty impatient about it.

Running a hand through his long hair he sighed. He hated working cold cases but this one would be worth it if he could crack it. This case could make his career. So he would stick with it until he had something to show for his efforts. That's why he was such a good agent; his determination was his greatest strength. John didn't like to play by the rules. He preferred to make his own rules and that had hurt him in the end even as it helped him solve many a case. All he needed was a lead, something… anything. He thought to himself.

As John again ran an impatient hand through his hair he looked up to see his boss in the doorway. Spanky, his nickname that every one called him; behind his back of course, Earl Spangler was his real name. He was a heavyset man about 5'10" in his mid fifties. He had a distinguished look that wasn't hampered by his slightly balding head and was one of the toughest directors John had ever encountered. Despite all that he seemed to like John and had actually taken him under his wing when John had first joined the FBI. Seeing the serious look on his face John questioned, "Boss?"

"John can I see you in my office?" Spangler said. He had some news for John and was pretty sure this was gonna rock the younger man to his roots. He thought of John like a son even if he was a difficult man to get to know. Ever since his fiancé Caitlin died he had been closed off and very somber. It was such a shame because John had a loving heart if only he would let himself feel again.

John nodded and got up from his desk and followed his boss into his spacious office. As Spangler sat down he motioned for John to sit across from him. When John was settled he looked at his boss and asked, "Ok what's this about?"

Taking a breath Spangler took out a file and handed it to John then began to speak, "We might have a lead on the case you're working on. This is the file of a young woman who has applied for a job as a summer intern. The department was serious enough about her to conduct an interview and do a back round check on her."

"I don't understand what this has to do with my case." John said breaking in.

"Look at the file then I'll explain." Spangler said, watching John begin to look at the file.

John opened the file to reveal a picture of a young woman who looked to be about 18 or 19 years old. She had long dark hair and intelligent green eyes. She was a very pretty young woman but looked like she should be going to the prom not joining the FBI. He looked up at his boss quickly before looking at the first page with her name and other personal information on it. Her name was Michelle Falk and was actually only 16 years old. "She's only 16 years old. The bureau was actually thinking about hiring her?" He asked incredulously.

"She had to submit her fingerprints," Spangler said and turned his monitor around so that John could see it. "When we ran them this came up."

John looked at the screen and was astonished to see that she was listed as a missing person. He looked again at the file and saw that she was indeed the right age to be one of the victims of his kidnapper. "So you think she was a victim of my guy?" John asked.

Seeing that John hadn't fully grasped the situation he said, "John, look at the parents listed on the police report."

John looked more carefully at the screen and gasped, "Oh my god." he murmured. The names listed were Thomas and Eve McBain.

Michelle Falk (Shelly to anyone that knew her) was a typical teenage girl for the most part. Her long dark hair hung down her back like a silky curtain. With her striking green eyes and willowy figure she was an attractive young woman. Smart too as she would graduate this year, almost a full year and a half ahead of the rest of her class. Her dream was to become an FBI agent. She loved the thought of going undercover and catching the bad guys. She wasn't afraid; she had seen many terrible things in her young age. She didn't speak of that though, some things she didn't tell anyone, not even her parents.

She had a steady boyfriend and several close friends. She loved her family, her 2 brothers and her parents. But that was about as normal as she could get. For Michelle was 'special'. Michelle had 'visions'. She had been seeing terrible images in her dreams ever since she was 10 years old and had cracked her skull open on a cement mixer her father had kept on the front porch. She knew no one would believe her if she told them about her dreams and she didn't want people thinking she was a freak. But she knew that they were real. They had to be, too many things she had dreamed had actually happened for them to be anything but real.

She kept a secret journal of her special dreams so she could keep track of them. She had dreamed of a certain man over and over. He was the reason she wanted to become an FBI agent. That's what he was and she felt a connection to him. Not a romantic like connection but something more basic. Something that she couldn't explain, it was almost like she knew him, had know him all her life. It was very strange but there none the less. So she had secretly begun to prepare for her career choice. Saving up her money she had started taking lessons in martial arts. She loved it and was a quick study; she also spent her spare time at the library looking up laws and things she thought she might need to know for her future.

Looking at her toenails she flexed her toes admiring the color she had just put on them she smiled. They looked really good she thought! Her hair was in curlers as she waited for her nails to dry. She was going out with Herbie, her boyfriend. He was a freshman in college and worked in town at the local hardware store. She hadn't even told him about her wish to become a FBI agent fearing he would disapprove. She would have to tell him if she got that internship she had applied for. But until she heard back she would keep quiet.

"Shelly! Phone!" Her mother, Anna called up to her room. Anna was a strict mother. She didn't have a lot of patience and tended to be stricter with Michelle then with her brothers, David and Jerry. Michelle and her mother didn't get along at all. But she still loved her mother no matter their differences she just couldn't help but resent the treatment she received from her.

"Thanks Mom!" Shelly called down picking up her phone she said, "Hello?"

"Hey Shel," her best friend Christina (Chris for short) said. "So you going out with Herbie tonight?"

Shelly smiled and said, "Yeah. I'm thinking of telling him." Christina was the only person Shelly had ever told about her 'dreams' and her wish to join the FBI. Christina didn't make fun of her and call her a freak she had accepted what Shelly had said as fact and supported her friend in her quest to become an FBI agent. Christina had also warned her against telling Herbie about her 'dreams' because she thought that he might not understand or worse yet not believe her.

"Oh Shelly. Are you sure you want to do that?" Chris asked, worried that her friend was gonna be hurt. She really worried about Shelly sometimes. After her dreams/visions she would become obsessed with finding out who was in them and what really happened. Sometimes the accuracy of Shelly's dreams scared even her. It was traumatic for Shelly and the dreams, if particularly violent, left Shelly with terrible headaches for days afterwards.

"I don't know Chris. I hate keeping things from him." Shelly said and settled down for a lengthy conversation. They talked for a while, Shelly had decided that now was not the time to tell Herbie about her visions, and then Shelly had to get ready for her date.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 2

John was still in shock as he walked to his car. After a long conversation with his mother he had finally got her to admit that he and Michael had a sister who had been kidnapped at birth. She hadn't wanted to talk about it because it was terribly painful and she had given up hope of ever finding her child. He asked why she had never said anything to him or Michael about her and she had simply replied that they had been too young at the time to understand. John had been 13 at the time, Michael only 7 and it happened only 4 months before Thomas died.

Looking into the Falk's background he saw that they had adopted Michelle when Anna had been unable to get pregnant again. Gerald, the father, was a well-liked and respected man. He wasn't a rich man but worked hard to provide a good home for his children and doted on his only daughter. His friends said that Michelle was the apple of his eye and that he expected great things from her.

It made John feel strange to know that he had a sister out there that he didn't know. That she called someone else brother bothered him. It didn't matter that she didn't know he even existed he felt like he had been cheated somehow. He thought about the rumors about her and discounted them. Some people had said that Michelle had some sort of sixth sense because she always seemed to know when important things would happen but John dismissed that as ridiculous, no one could predict the future. She probably just had good instincts and observation skills.

He was on his way to a small town in upstate New York to meet her and hopefully convince her to come meet their mother and Michael. He didn't have it in him to just barge in and demand that she be returned to his mother even though he knew nothing would please Eve more then getting her daughter back. He knew that this had to be approached carefully so as not to cause undo pain to everyone involved.

John drove the long distance trying to imagine how he would greet his long lost sister. To say he was nervous would be an understatement he was down right scared. After the long drive he finally pulled into the driveway of the Falk household. He looked around noticing everything about the property. The house was a fairly large 2-story house and had an old beat up black vinyl couch on the front porch. The house it self had a light yellow color siding and looked clean. There was a lawn and then a full size garage with its own driveway. There were several cars in the upper driveway in front of the garage so he assumed someone was home. He got out of his car and walked up the driveway to the door. Knocking he waited for someone to answer.

Shelly sat in English class lost in thought. She was bored in this class and the teacher droned on and on about a stupid poem that didn't mean a thing to Shelly.

"Michelle?" Mr. DeLucia said seeing that she wasn't paying attention, "am I boring you?"

Shelly was in a bad mood and was annoyed to be called out in the middle of the class. "Actually yes you are." She answered drawing snickers from several members of the class.

Mr. DeLucia got angry and pointed to the door, "Out! Go to the principals office."

Shelly rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah that's gonna scare me." Gathering up her books she smirked at him and said sarcastically, "Boy that will really teach me not to be naughty." Leaving the room she made her way to the office. She spent more time skipping class or being kicked out then she did in the actual class. Sighing she sat down and took out a book to read, waiting for the end of the day bell.

She was reading her book when the final bell rang. Jumping up she waved at the secretary and walked to her locker to put her stuff away and get her coat. Walking home she thought about her day at school. Shelly wasn't all that popular. The other kids thought she was weird and resented her because she was younger then them. They picked on her constantly and today had been particularly bad. Her blood boiled as she remembered the names that were hurled at her. It always hurt when she was the victim of their cruelty. She had friends and she knew she wasn't ugly but they somehow knew that she wasn't entirely normal. That was enough for them and it made Shelly very angry.

If there was on thing that Shelly had trouble with, it was controlling her anger. When she was mad she tended to be vicious. She had more then once reduced her mother to tears during an argument. It wasn't something she liked about her self nor was she proud of it. So she had figured out ways to control her anger. Right now she either took long runs or she holed up in her room listening to music. This usually helped her calm down and release her feelings.

So when she heard her name being called from behind her she didn't slow down. It was only when the person got closer that she recognized them. It was her brother David. He was he older brother by a year. At 17 he was in the same grade as her, something that annoyed him to no end. She couldn't blame him. What guy wanted to be in the same class as his younger sister? Her being taller then him didn't help much either. At five feet eleven inches she was taller then most every person in her grade, definitely taller then all of the girls. But they were close with each other.

"What's the rush?" David asked, running his hand through his light brown hair. He looked closely at Shelly's face and saw that she was angry, but it was more then that she seemed hurt. With Shelly it was usually like pulling teeth to get answers from her. She could talk for hours about anything, except her feelings, her problems. Often times he felt she was hiding something from everyone.

"Bad day." She replied, "I got kicked out of English class."

"Why?" David asked. He knew Shelly was a smart girl but she had a real problem with authority. She tended to be overly critical and corrected the teachers on occasion. This usually led to her getting written up or kicked out. Plus Shelly had a hard time keeping her sarcastic comments to her self, which didn't exactly help her cause. But in spite of all that David couldn't think of a more kind and loving person.

Shelly sighed, "I was bored. I guess I was staring out the window or something and Mr. DeLucia yelled at me. I wasn't very nice about it and he threw me out." Picking at her sweater she looked down at the ground. She wasn't proud of her self. Well not now anyway but it had felt good at the time to tell the man off.

They were silent the rest of the way home. It was a pretty short walk and soon they were coming in the door. Shelly kicked off her shoes the minute she got in the door, something she did every day. She hated to wear shoes, preferring to go barefoot. Throwing her book bag on the bench near the door she walked straight into the kitchen to get something to drink. She stopped short when she saw her father, her mother and HIM!

"What are you doing home so early, Dad?" She stammered, shaken to the core at seeing him. Looking at her father's expression she concluded that this was something serious. Glancing to her mother then finally settling her gaze on the stranger she simply observed. He was taller then she had imagined he would be. Better looking too but that's not what held her interest. It was the way he was looking at her. It was as if he knew her and that was impossible. The only reason she even knew he existed was because of her 'dreams'.

"Michelle, this is John McBain. He is going to be staying with us for a couple of days." Her father said watching Shelly's reaction carefully.

Shelly extended her hand only because it would be rude not to but inside she was scared. If this man, John she now knew his name was, was real then her dreams the terrible things she had seen in them were real too. She had known that they were but it wasn't the same then actually _knowing_ and the reality of that was overwhelming.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 3

John was sitting on the Falk front porch later that night thinking about all that had happened that day. It was a lot for him to take in all at once. Finding out that he had a sister and that she was a victim in a case he was working on. To top it all off he couldn't even reveal to her who he was yet. Her parents, or her adoptive parents, thought that she might run away if told the truth right a way.

When John looked at her he saw so much of his mother in her eyes and face that it was scary. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the child that was kidnapped from his mother and father. He was taking a few days off to get to know Shelly and hopefully convince her to at least meet with Eve and Michael.

John looked up when the front door opened and Shelly stepped out onto the porch, seemingly oblivious to his presence. She stopped at the wooden porch steps and looked across to the other side of the valley. She seemed absorbed in the view, lost in thought. He remembered their first meeting earlier that day. She had seemed reluctant and a bit apprehensive of him. He didn't understand why but he hoped to gain her trust.

"Hey," John said softly trying not to startle her.

Shelly started and turned to him. "Oh sorry I didn't mean to bother you." Turning to go back inside she started to the door.

John saw her start to head inside and wondered why she was so anxious to get away from him. "You aren't bothering me," he said then, hoping to get her to sit down and talk to him a bit he said, "you like to be alone sometimes too?"

Shelly sighed and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Looking down she was silent a minute, giving thought to his question. "Its not really about being alone, it's more about enjoying your own company I guess," she explained. Looking at John she studied him intently. "Are you really an old friend of my father's?" she asked bluntly.

John looked at her momentarily startled by her question. He hadn't expected her to question that. Seeing her studying him he asked, "Yes. Why do you ask that?"

"You aren't like any of his other friends. You're too young for one thing. You seem…I don't know too honest, I guess. Not that my dads friends are dishonest or anything. You seem better, you know? In fact if I didn't know any better I would think you were a cop." Shelly said, testing him. She wanted to see if he would lie or if he would tell the truth about what he was.

John was surprised by her comment. He hadn't thought he had done anything to betray the fact that he was a cop. Looking at her closely he asked, "Why would you think that?" genuinely wanting to know. Shelly didn't miss a beat he thought. She was very observant to have guessed he was not a friend of her father's and a cop.

"It's the way you walk, the way you speak and the way you studied me when we first met." Shelly said. While this man, made her have to face the reality of her visions he also fascinated her. Shelly wanted to be like him, she wanted to fight criminals and put the bad guys behind bars and she also wondered if that was why he was here. If he was here because of the internship she had interviewed for a couple of weeks ago.

John was amazed that she had noticed those things but then figured he shouldn't have been since she did want to be an FBI agent. He nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm a cop." He noticed that she didn't look at all surprised and he gave her a small smile. "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked already knowing the answer.

Shelly looked at him and laughed, "Well since I graduate in a couple of months I'm kinda grown up already. I haven't told my parents this yet but I want to be an FBI agent." Looking at him seriously for a minute she got up and went to the door and said, "But I think you already knew that." Then went inside leaving John to stare after her wondering how she could possibly know that.

Several hours later after everyone had gone to bed Shelly lay on her bed tossing and turning. Looking at the clock next to her she saw it was only 2 am. She sighed, closed her eyes again and willed her self to relax. 'You need to sleep now Shel' she thought to herself. After a few more minutes of restless tossing she sat up and pushed the hair from her eyes. She knew she was never gonna get to sleep with all this tension in her.

Reaching for her running clothes she decided that she needed to work off some restless energy. Slipping on her shorts and sweatshirt and putting on her running shoes she walked carefully to the window and pulled it up. She hated to sneak out but she knew that her dad wouldn't let her go out this late. He was very protective of her and she loved him for it but that was also part of the reason she hadn't said anything about her desire to join the FBI.

Slipping out the window silently she climbed on to the roof and crept to the edge. She knew she had to be quiet because John their 'houseguest' was in the room directly under her. Looking down she saw that the light was off and sighed in relief, he wasn't still up. Sitting down and swinging her legs over the side and mentally calculated the distance between her and the rail of the porch as she had done many times before she jumped off and landed on her feet. Looking around to see if anyone had heard her she jogged across the yard and down the street.

John watched Shelly run off, from the window where he was standing. He had woken up to sounds of someone on the roof and was going to go investigate when Shelly jumped down. Surprised he almost jumped out the door and tackled the figure coming off the roof. Once he recognized her he wanted to go and confront her on what the hell she was doing sneaking out of the house at 2 in the morning. He was about to do just that when he remembered that it wasn't his place to do that. That she didn't know him as anything other then John McBain house guest and friend of the father. He sighed as she disappeared from sight. Sitting on the couch he decided to wait for her to return. '

Shelly ran down the street lost in the rhythm of her feet hitting the pavement. She loved to run it made her feel free, like she was in control. Deep in thought she ran without destination. Hearing voices she looked up startled. Looking around she was surprised to see that she was farther from her home then she had intended to go. She again heard voices, from around the corner. Quietly slipping around the corner she was shocked to see Herbie standing there with 2 other men holding a baseball bat. One of the other men he was with was on the ground seemingly begging for his life.

Smothering her surprised gasp she watched as Herbie waved the bat in front of the downed man and said something that she couldn't catch. In sick fascination she watched as her boyfriend appeared to be threatening a defenseless man. She was about to interrupt when Herbie brought the bat down violently against the car next to him, causing her to jump, leaned down and said something else then he and his partner climbed into the car and drove off.

Shelly ran over to the frightened man and tried to help him up. He flinched away from her and said, "Get away from me! Leave me alone."

"I'm just trying to help," Shelly tried to explain but he just took off down an alley and disappeared. After standing there for a minute in shocked confusion Shelly turned around and headed for home. She had some thinking to do and choices to make. Like for one, did she turn in the man she loved or did she go to him and ask for an explanation for his behavior.

She ran home more troubled then she had been before. Coming to her house she decided to take a risk and come in the back door, which was only a few feet away from the room John was in. Hoping that John was a heavy sleeper she quietly crept in and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see anyone around. Walking lightly she watched her steps making sure she didn't walk on any boards that might make any noise. So engrossed in this task she was startled when she ran into a solid wall of muscle. Looking up she sucked in a deep breath and said, "Crap!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**Chapter 4**

Shelly looked up and mentally swore to herself. Of all the people to run into why did it have to be him? She asked herself before pasting a smile on her face and saying sweetly, "Oh, sorry didn't see you there."

John steadied her with his hands and looked her over to make sure she was ok, trying to figure out why she had snuck out of the house in the middle of the night. When he studied her face in the dim light he noticed that she had tears streaks on her face, she had obviously been crying. "Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

Shelly nodded and tried to move around him to the stairs, "Yeah, I'm fine. Excuse me," she said taking a step towards the stairs. She was annoyed when he stepped in her way blocking her path.

John nodded though he didn't really believe she was fine. Something had obviously happened to night that had upset her. "Ok, if you're fine then you can tell me why you snuck out in the middle of the night."

"I couldn't sleep. I needed to get out and running helps me clear my head." Shelly started to explain defensively then suddenly wondered why she was defending herself to a virtual stranger, because that's what he was even if she had had visions about him, she didn't really know him at all. And he certainly didn't know her. "Wait a minute I don't have to explain my self to you!"

John nodded at this, "No you don't but I could tell your parents and you would have to explain yourself to them." John looked at her for a minute and then said, "Look Shelly I'm a FBI agent and I have seen what happens to a young girl out at night, alone. It's not pretty and I would hate to see anything happen to you."

"Look I appreciate that you don't want me to be murdered and thrown in a ditch but I can take care of my self. I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do!" Shelly snapped, brushed past him and stormed to the stairs. Stopping a few feet from the stairs she looked back at him and said, "I may not be with the FBI, Agent McBain, but I have seen some pretty awful things in my life, probably more then you so don't talk down to me like I am some little girl that doesn't have a clue!" Then she headed up the stairs careful not to wake anyone else up.

John stared after her, silently cursing him self for coming on too strong. "Great job McBain," he said to him self. "That went well." It was just that he was having a hard time not acting like an older brother. Finding out that Shelly was his sister had thrown his protective instincts into overdrive and he just couldn't seem to help being this way.

Thinking about what she had said as he went back to his room, he wondered at her comment about seeing more awful things then him. In this little town what bad things were there for her to witness? Was she just being melodramatic or was there more going on in this town that meets the eye?

Shelly regretted her words to John the moment they left her mouth but they were out there and there was no taking them back. She had let her anger and confusion at Herbie take over and she had taken it out on John. Sighing she turned around and headed back downstairs. She wanted John's respect and knew she couldn't leave things like that. She made her way to his room door and knocked lightly.

John looked up from where he was sitting on the bed when he heard the soft knock on the door. He got up and walked to the door. Opening it slowly he was shocked to see Shelly standing on the other side. "You here to tell me off again?" he asked with a touch of sarcasm.

Shelly sighed and shook her head, "No, I came to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Look I had a bad night and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

John looked at her astonished, he couldn't have been more surprised. She was apologizing to him? It was he that owed her the apology. "No, I'm sorry. I was out of line and I shouldn't have questioned you like that." He paused then asked gently, "You said you had a bad night...You want to talk about it?"

"No, thanks." She said then was silent for a minute, thinking that maybe she had been too abrupt with her answer, and then said, "Look it's not that I don't trust you but I just don't like to talk about myself. Ok?"

John nodded thinking that they had more in common then she knew, "That's ok. I understand."

She looked at him glad that he wasn't pushing for answers, like most other people would. Especially cops. "Well, ummm good night then." She said turning around and headed back upstairs.

John said good night and went back to his bed thinking of their conversation. He hadn't found out why she had snuck out but he had gotten to know his sister just a bit better, and he like that. As he drifted off to sleep he had a smile on his face.

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The next morning Shelly woke up early and decided to go over to Chris's to talk to her about last night. Chris always had a way to make things seem better and that was something she desperately needed right now.

After showering and getting dressed Shelly headed to the kitchen for something to eat. She was surprised to see John was also up and drinking coffee. "You're up early," she commented while getting out the eggs to make an omelet. "Hungry?" she asked.

John shrugged and said, "I guess."

"You want an omelet?"

"Sure."

They talked about the weather and Shelly's school while she was making their food. Eventually the conversation ended up to John's job. Shelly asked about one of his closed cases and John explained what happened with it. Soon they were finished eating and it was time for Shelly to leave.

As she was about to leave Shelly heard the phone ring. Sighing she picked it up and answered irritably. She really needed to talk to Chris. "Hello?" She said a bit shortly.

"Shelly?" Said Chris from the other end, "Something wrong?"

"Oh Hi!" Shelly exclaimed, "I was just on my way to see you. I need your help."

"That's such a coincidence cause I need to talk to you too. You're headed her right now?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in 10."

"Ok, Come to the back door though. I don't want mom to know you're here this early." Chris said and they both hung up.

John's head had shot up when Shelly had told the person on the other end that she needed their help. After that he listened carefully, wondering why she needed help and also if he could provide any to her. "You need help with something?" He asked when she hung up the phone.

Shelly looked at him a bit annoyed, "It's rude to eavesdrop you know."

John grinned, not taking offense at her slightly disapproving tone, "I'm FBI its ok for us to do it. Can I help with what ever you need help with?"

Shelly shook her head secretly pleased by the offer and said, "No it's a girl thing but thanks for the offer." Leaning over she gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek and a small hug, then pulled back embarrassed, "I'm sorry I don't know why I just did that."

John smiled, both at the fact that she had hugged him and at her embarrassment, "It's ok. I don't mindbeing hugged," he said with a shrug.

"O..Ok… I have to go now," Shelly stammered out and ran out the door leaving John staring after please by the progress he was making with her. He would be able to tell her who he really was soon. That thought made him very happy as he finished his coffee and called the office using his cell phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

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Chapter 5

Shelly stood in the hallway outside Herbie's history class knowing that she shouldn't be there. She was skipping school so she could get an explanation from him about last night. Apparently she hadn't been the only one to witness his acts. Chris had seen him to while walking her dog. That's what she had wanted to talk to Shelly about this morning.

As she waited she became more and more unsure of how to approach this situation. She had planned to just come right out with it and demand to know what the hell was going on but the more she thought about it the more she unsure she became. Before she could talk herself into leaving the classroom door opened and students began filing out. Several boys did a double take and then whistled at her but she ignored them, she was focused on Herbie. As he reached her and before he could even utter a word she said, "We need to talk!"

John was in the kitchen getting yet another cup of coffee. Rubbing his temples he mentally swore at his boss. This case was getting out of hand. Now he had a lead that somehow the mob, the Carpelli family to be exact, was involved in the baby selling/kidnapping ring. Interestingly enough there were several Carpelli's in this town. But that wasn't what was giving John a headache. What was bothering him was that he had been taken off the case! His boss decided that he was too involved in the case to and that he should take some time off to bond with his sister and help her bond with the rest of his family.

Time off was the last thing he wanted! He wanted to work on this case not cool his heels and let someone else crack the case, his case! To make matters worse Shelly had skipped school today and no one knew where she was. Well some one did know but they weren't talking. Shelly's best friend Christina knew exactly where Shelly was and why she was there but she wouldn't say a word. She was supposed to be home from school an hour ago and she still hadn't shown up yet and the Falk's were both furious and scared. They believed she was just skipping school but there was always that possibility that something had happened to her.

"Where could she be?" Anna asked for the 20th time as she paced the floor. Gerald on the other hand sat in his chair calmly. He was worried but he was more angry then he was anything else. He knew that Shelly didn't like to be at school, that she skipped often. This was the last straw for him. "I love my daughter but she has gone too far this time," Gerald said.

"Jerry..." Anna said to her husband.

"What?" Gerald said.

"Don't jump to conclusions. She might not have skipped school. Something might have happened to her!" Anna said and began to wring her hands. John watched silently, not knowing if he should say anything.

"NO!" Gerald said loudly, "Shelly might not be our daughter by blood but we would know if something happened to her!"

"What?" Shelly gasped from the doorway. She had entered with out anyone noticing just in time to hear her father's declaration.

"Oh thank god you're ok!" Anna said, rushing to hug Shelly. She didn't notice that Shelly didn't hug her back or that Shelly had her gaze firmly fixed on her father's face.

Gerald stood up and looked at Shelly, "Where have you been? Do you know how worried your mother and I have been?" he demanded.

"I had something I had to do." Shelly said dismissively. "What did you mean that I am not your daughter by blood?"

"That's not what I said. I just meant that if something happened to you I would know." Gerald said, sliding a look over to John.

Shelly saw the look and was angered by it. "I heard you! What did you mean? Am or am I not your daughter?" Shelly demanded. She didn't understand what was happening. It was like her whole world was crumbling around her, first Herbie and now this. She prayed she had heard wrong but knew she hadn't.

"Of course you're our daughter!" Anna cried.

Gerald looked away from Shelly's eyes and that's when she knew. "But... What aren't you telling me? I can tell you're hiding something." Turning to John she said, "You know what it is. Tell me!"

Gerald stood up and went to her, "Calm down. Its ok." He tried to hug her and was shocked when she brought her arms up warding off his touch.

"No don't touch me! You aren't my father are you?" She asked beginning to get hysterical. "You're lying to me about something. I can tell!"

Gerald sighed and looked at John and then Anna. "You're our daughter Shelly, just not biologically. You're adopted."

"I'm adopted? And you never told me? You lied to me?" Shelly cried out. "Why didn't you tell me?" Seeing her father again exchange a look with John she knew there was something else. Something that they weren't telling her. "What else? There's something else isn't there?"

John was amazed that she knew that. She was very perceptive, she had to be to notice that they were keeping something from her. He looked at Gerald who nodded at him. Giving him permission to tell her more, though not all. "You're right there is more."

"What?" Shelly asked. She knew, she felt it in her gut, that what was said next would forever alter her life and nothing would ever be the same.

"You're adoption wasn't legal." Gerald said softly feeling as though he had already lost her.

"What? What does that mean? Why wasn't it legal?"

"Because you were kidnapped at birth." It was John who answered this time. "Your mother didn't want to give you up for adoption you were taken from her."

"So you're not a friend of my dad's you're really here working a case?" Shelly asked coldly. She had thought that she and John could become friends, that he liked her. That was obviously not the case. "You're here to take me back to them. My real parents!"

"Yes I'm here because of a case but..." John began but Shelly didn't let him finish.

"I don't want to go anywhere! I am not going anywhere with you!" Shelly yelled at him. She was freaking out. He whole life was a lie. People weren't who they said they were and she didn't know how to deal with that. "How did you even find me anyway?" She asked suddenly

"When you applied for a job you're fingerprints were entered into the system." John said, not mentioning that the job had been for the FBI.

Shelly nodded. She understood, it was her fault this was happening to an extent. If She hadn't applied for that internship none of this would be happening. "So it's my fault you're here destroying my life!" She cried.

"Look Shelly," Gerald said, "I know you're upset but..."

"You know? What do you really know about me _Dad_? Tell me, please!" Shelly yelled as suddenly her confusion and hurt turned to rage. "You lie to me my entire life. You tell me that I'm your daughter, that I'm special, and I find out that its all a lie! So tell me what do you know about me. I don't even know who I am! How can you?"

"Shelly calm down. Just listen." Anna said frantically trying to get Shelly to calm down.

"NO! You can't just drop something like this on me and tell me to calm down!" Shelly yelled. "I...I...I can't think. I need to go." Shelly stammered out. Turning on her heel she ran out the door and away from everything that was overwhelming her.

John stared after her, for the second time in as many days. He knew that it was a lot to take in and that she needed time to deal but he also needed to know that she was safe. Contrary to what Shelly believed she was more then just a case to him, she was his sister and he needed to make sure she was safe. He also knew that she wasn't ready to know that she was his sister or to meet their mother or Michael.

"Where would she go?" John asked.

Anna just looked at him. "There is an underpass just a mile out of town she likes to go to. She might be there." Gerald said choking up. "Make sure she is safe." He told John.

John nodded and headed for the door. They all knew that it was John who needed to go. Shelly was too angry at them to listen but John might be able to get through to her because he had lied to her the least.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 6

John made his way down to the small area under the underpass where Shelly's parents said her would be. "Shelly?" he called when he didn't see anyone around. Noticing an earring on the ground he bent down and picked it up. Looking at it he knew that Shelly had been there. She had been wearing these earrings when she had run out of the house.

Taking out his phone he called Gerald hoping she had gone home. When he found out she hadn't he asked for her friend Christina's address. If anyone would know where she was it would be her. After looking around a bit more he headed over to Christina's

Knocking on the door John waited for an answer. He had never met Christina before but he figured he would be able to recognize her. Worried and more concerned then he wanted to admit he was relieved when the door swung open. A young woman about 5'8" tall with reddish blond hair stepped out. She was rail thin and had a ready smile. "Can I help you?'"

"Are you Christina?" John asked her and when she nodded he said, "My name is John McBain. I'm looking for Shelly. Do you know where she is?"

Chris looked at the handsome man in front of her and nodded getting a chill down her spine. She knew that this the man Shelly had told her about and it was a bit surreal that he should be standing right in front of her right now. "I haven't seen her since school. Why? What's the matter? Did something happen?"

John sighed, disappointed and more worried now then ever. "She, ahh, got some up setting news and ran off." He told her. "Do you know where she might go?"

"What news?" Chris demanded, "Shelly is the strongest person I know. What could she have possibly found out that she would run away from it?"

John hesitated to tell her. This really was a family matter and he didn't feel right about telling. "I really can't say but if you have any idea where she might have gone I would really appreciate it." He ran a hand through his hair looking both nervous and determined.

"Look if it's as bad as you say it is and you were a part of it she won't talk to you." Chris said, "I think I should go with you to look for her. Have you been to the underpass about a mile out of town? She goes there some times."

John sighed and agreed, knowing that this might be the only way to get through to Shelly. He wasn't sure she would even talk to him but he needed to make sure she was ok this looked like the only way that he could be sure to know.

3 hours later John pulled into the Falk's driveway with Christina, no closer to finding Shelly then when he first started. It was as if she had dropped of the face of the planet. Even her boyfriend Herbie said he hadn't seen her, though he wasn't sure if he believed him. There was something about the younger man that made him pause and take a closer look. His instincts telling him that there was more to him that met the eye and not all of it good. But there wasn't a whole lot he could do to make the younger man talk.

The fact that Shelly disappeared from sight said two things to John, one she was really upset about this adoption thing and two that she was really good at going underground and that she would make a hell of a FBI agent when she got older. Neither thought was very pleasing to him at the moment.

Parking the car in the driveway John and Christina made their way into the house. Christina wanted to have a look at Shelly's room hoping it would give her a clue where her best friend went. Christina was really worried about Shelly though she tried not to show it. She knew that Shelly would never just run off unless something huge had happened, something that she couldn't handle. And after what had happened with Herbie the other day she was worried that it was something to do with him. No matter what John McBain said Christina knew that Shelly wouldn't just run off and hide because she got some bad news. She would want to be alone with her thoughts for a little while and then confront the issue head on.

John followed Christina up to Shelly's room and watched as she looked around. She was looking for something specific. He watched as Christina opened drawers and looked under the mattress, obviously she wasn't finding what she was looking for. When she went to the corner of the room next to the closet and pulled back the carpet to reveal a hole in the floor he had to ask, "Just what are you looking for?"

Shelly reached her hand into the 8 inch square hole in the floor and felt around for the notebook she prayed was in there. Feeling nothing she cursed in frustration. Shelly had been back and she had taken her dream journal. "You said Shelly just took off and didn't take anything with her?"

"Yeah, she umm, heard something that really upset her and ran out the door." John explained.

"She's been back, then." Christina said and Anna gasped from the doorway.

"How we have been here the whole time we would have seen her. How could she have gotten in with out us seeing her?" Anna said tearfully.

"The roof," both John and Christina said at the same time. They looked at each other and shared a slight smile. They both knew that Shelly snuck out of the house by using the roof.

"The roof?" Gerald questioned.

Christina sighed and said, "Sometimes Shelly would...have a bad dream and need to get out of the house so she would climb out the window and jump off the roof and go for a run."

Looking at John both of the Falks asked, "How did you know that she used the roof?"

John looked down, feeling guilty that he hadn't said anything to them when he had caught Shelly sneaking out, "I, uh, caught her sneaking out the other night. I didn't think it was my place to say anything."

Gerald was mad and blurted out incredulously, "Your sister is climbing off the roof to sneak out and you don't think that you should say anything? What the hell sense does that make?"

"What?" A trio of voices said together. Looking behind him John saw that David and Jerry, Shelly's adopted brothers were standing there looking shocked. They were looking at Mr. and Mrs. Falk like they were strangers. "His sister? What the hell does that mean?" Jerry asked.

Sighing Mr. and Mrs. Falk explained to them that Shelly was adopted and that apparently that adoption had been illegal and that John was in fact Shelly's biological brother. They seemed to take the news pretty well and when the explanation was finished they wanted to know, "So where is Shelly now?"

This is where John decided to jump in, "We don't know. She doesn't know about me but she does know she is adopted. She ran out when we told her."

"Its about more then that." Christina said for the first time since the brothers came in. John looked at her sharply while Gerald asked, "What do you mean?"

"She took her journal, some clothes, and all of her cd's along with her cd player." Christina said as if that should explain everything. When everyone continued to look at her in confusion she sighed and wondered how well they even knew Shelly. "She's not coming back. She wouldn't take her journal unless she was leaving for a while. And she took clothes and her all of her cd's, not just a few she took them all." Christina explained. "She wouldn't do that unless she wasn't planning on coming back for a while."

"So she got really up set and ran away. That's what you're saying?" John asked confused. From what he had noticed and read about Shelly that wasn't like her at all.

"No, what I am saying is that something else is going on here and that we need to find her, and fast." Christina said urgently. She knew her friend and the only way she would just run away was if she was trying to protect someone she loved or if she was in serious trouble.

Two days later John and the Falk's still hadn't heard a word from Shelly. John was following up on some leads that he had gotten from his FBI contacts and thought he was on to something. A woman fitting Shelly's description had stopped at a rundown motel in PA, 20 miles from the PA/NY border and John was on his way there to check it out.

John walked into the manager's office and flashed his badge. Showing the manager a picture of Shelly he asked if she was there. He was told she was there and directed to room 23. So he went, when he got there he knocked on the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 7

When he got no answer John knocked on the door again a bit louder. When there was still no answer or any movement inside he began to worry. Taking out a small kit from his pocket he proceeded to pick the lock. Getting out his gun he went into the dingy little room cautiously. Sweeping the room, gun at the ready, he noticed that Shelly was lying in bed sleeping. He smiled a bit to himself realizing that she hadn't opened the door because she was asleep. Holstering his gun he walked over to Shelly on the bed intending to wake her up.

When he got to her noticed that she looked wet and her hair was damp and matted on her head. Thinking that she had taken a shower recently he reached a hand out and grasped her shoulder lightly to shake her awake. When he touched her skin he was shocked at the warmth of it. Placing a hand on her forehead he felt the heat emanating from her. She was burning up with fever! "Shelly? Shelly?" he called trying to wake her. His first aide training telling him that fevers were sometimes caused my injuries he pulled the blankets away from her. Looking her over he noticed that she had a large dark red stain on her shirt that looked like blood. Gently pulling her shirt up he saw that it was indeed blood and that she had a bandage around the stomach.

Not knowing what else to do he took out his phone and dialed 911. Just as he started to speak he heard Shelly say something. Turning around to see if she was awake he was stunned to see that she was indeed awake and aiming a gun at him.

Shelly woke when a man took out a phone to call someone. Her body on fire and her thoughts muddled she had one thought, 'No one must find her.' She had to stop him from calling anyone. Removing the gun from under the pillow was difficult but she knew it was necessary. Aiming the gun at him she recognized him finally but didn't lower the gun. "Put down the phone." She commanded, her voice raspy and strained.

"Shelly I need to call an ambulance. You have a really high fever and..." John said not putting down the phone.

Cocking the gun she said again, "Put down the phone."

John swallowed hard at the steel in her voice, shut his phone off and put it on the table. "Why don't you want me to call an ambulance? You're really sick Shelly you need help."

Weak from blood loss and burning with fever Shelly's strength was waning. The gun trembled in her hand and slowly lowered as she sank back down on the bed. John went to her in time to hear her say, "Too dangerous... They'll kill me if they find me." Her eyes drifted shut again and it seemed as if she had passed out again.

John leaned over her and touched her face, almost jumping when her eyes snapped back open and she looked at him, "Promise me... promise me you won't take me to the hospital." When he hesitated she said again more urgently, "Promise me, Please!"

Knowing that it was a bad idea and that he was probably gonna regret it but seeing how important this was to her he said, "I promise."

"Thanks," she sighed and lapsed into unconsciousness.

John stared at her in confusion. He knew she needed medial help but she wouldn't go to the hospital. Taking out his phone he called the only person he knew he could trust to come and not tell anyone. After speaking for a minute he hung up the phone and went back to Shelly. Lifting her shirt again he gently peeled off the bandages to get a look at her wound. Worried when she didn't wake up at all he finished taking off the bandage and looked in shock at the bullet wound in her abdomen. It was infected, that much he could tell. That was probably why she had the fever but that opened up a whole new can of worms starting with 'who shot her and why?'

Going to the bathroom he got a cloth and some cold water and began to mop her brow with the cold water hoping to bring down her fever. That is what they always did in the movies so he figured he would give it a shot. He wasn't a doctor and there was only so much he could do. He refused to believe that Shelly might not make it. To find his sister only to loose her again was unthinkable. He did this over and over until he heard a knock on the door and, "Hey John it's me."

John went to answer the door gun in hand not wanting to take any chances. Seeing that it was only Michael, his or rather their brother, he put away the gun and practically dragged him into the room.

"What's going on? What am I doing here?" Michael asked John the minute the door was shut. "Are you ok?"

"It's not me. I'm fine. It's her?" John said motioning to Shelly. "Remember when I told you we had a sister and that I was going to find her? John asked him.

Michael looked at John for a second stunned, before going over to Shelly. Looking up at John he said, "This is her?" At Johns nod Michael looked at Shelly in wonder before bending to carefully touch her head. Surprised at the fever burning through her Michael looked at John quickly before taking out his medical bag and examining her. When he got to her stomach he let out a sound of horror. "She's been shot!" Turning her over gently he looked at her back and cursed.

"What?" John asked anxiously.

"There is no exit wound. The bullet is still in there. We need to get her to a hospital John." Michael said seriously.

"We can't. Someone is after her and she is afraid that they will kill her if they find her." John said just as seriously. "You're going to have to take the bullet out here Mike."

"John, she needs a hospital. I can't take the bullet out here. I didn't bring any anesthetic. I wish you had told me she had been shot. I can't dig a bullet out of someone with out anesthetic! And especially not her." Michael said adamantly.

"Just do it." Said Shelly and both John and Michael looked at her face in surprise. She was awake again and looking at them with unfocused eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" John asked, worried that she had heard him tell Michael that she was their sister. He didn't think she was ready for that information yet.

"Since some one looked at my back. Whatever you need to do just do it. I'm not going to the hospital."

"But..." Michael protested. He didn't want to be cutting into anyone especially his own sister with out at least numbing the area.

"Look I don't know who you are but just do it. If you don't I'm gonna die." Shelly told him matter-of-factly. She knew in her gut that she could trust this man, just like she knew she could trust John. She also knew that he would do it and braced herself for what she knew was coming next.

Michael could tell she was serious about not going to the hospital and mentally groaned. She was as stubborn as John and she was right if he didn't take that bullet out she would die. Thanking god he at least had brought antibiotics and antiseptics he started laying out his supplies. Having John hold her down he removed the bullet, again surprised when she made very little noise. Looking up into her face he saw that she had passed out again. Injecting her with antibiotics he said to John, "She'll be ok but what the hell happened to her? Who shot her?"

"I don't know. I found her like this, this morning." John said, pausing before saying, "She doesn't know who we are."

"She seemed to know you," Michael said.

"That's not what I meant. I haven't told her who we are to her yet." John said looking down at Shelly, "I wish I knew what happened to her and why she ran in the first place."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 8

Later that night Shelly woke every muscle aching and plagued with a raging thirst. Getting up she gasped when a hot sharp pain knifed through her abs, Looking down she saw that someone had bandaged her up again and had obviously taken care of her wound. Looking across the room she saw John McBain asleep on the couch and another man she recalled only vaguely sleeping in a chair. Putting her feet on the floor and standing up she was surprised when the room began to spin and she felt incredibly weak. Falling back down on the bed with a startled groan she lay back a little and tried to recover her senses.

John heard Shelly groan and was up and over to her before she could blink. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice harsh with concern. With out her saying a word he gently picked her up and placed her in then bed.

"I wanted a drink," Shelly said in a voice laced with pain. Michael had also woken up and was leaning over Shelly with concern. "Who are you?" Shelly asked him. "What are you doing here?"

It was John who answered, "This is my brother Michael and he is here because I called him. He is a doctor, he took the bullet out and stitched you up."

Still looking at John Shelly asked, "He won't tell anyone where I am will he?"

"No I won't. But you need to tell us why you are afraid someone is after you and who shot you." Michael said.

Shelly looked at him weakly and took a sip of water. She wasn't sure she wanted anyone one else to know what happened to her. It would only put them in more danger. It was bad enough they found her here but if they knew what exactly went down it could mean their deaths.

Flash Back 

_Shelly ran from the house and down the street. Stopping at the corner she tried to decide where to go. She couldn't think. She just needed to get away. She heard someone call her name but didn't turn around. Starting to run again she headed for the place that she knew there would be not other people. She headed for the underpass about a mile out of town. No one ever went out there but here and it was calm and peaceful. Just the kind of place she needed right now._

_Running straight to the water and looking down she saw herself in the water. She recognized her face but that was all. Her whole world was crumbling around her and there was nothing she could do about it. If she wasn't Michelle Falk then who was she? How did she define herself now? If she wasn't Gerald Falk's daughter, if she wasn't David or Jerry's sister who was she? Crumpling to the ground she put her face in her hands and began to cry._

_After a while she straightened up and wiped her tears. There wasn't anything she could do about this, about the fact that she had been lied to her whole life but there was something she could do about Herbie. He had told her that the thug thing was a one-time venture and that's all he did. She was tired of being lied to, to be sure he was telling the truth she was gonna go pay him a visit. Maybe spy on him a bit, if he was telling the truth there would be nothing to see. But if not..._

_Well she didn't know what she would do if he wasn't telling the truth. At the very least she would dump him. Perhaps she already should have. She really liked Herbie but she couldn't be with him if he was a criminal. Sighing she got up and headed to the gym where Herbie hung out when he didn't have class._

_It was a long walk to the gym but it helped Shelly clear her head. Opening the door quietly she stepped in. She was about to step in the main room when she heard a thud. Creeping the corner to peak around she stifled a horrified gasp. There was an older man tied to a chair and Herbie, her Herbie, standing there aiming a gun at him. Torn between the urge to turn and run and the urge to demand to know what the hell Herbie was doing she simply stood there watching the events unfold._

_Fighting back the compulsion to retch Shelly looked on as Herbie shouted at the poor man in the chair. She didn't know who the man was but surely whoever he was he didn't deserve to be tortured like this. Standing there she saw that Herbie was not alone with the older man. There were several other people in the room looking on as Herbie suddenly lashed out and pistol-whipped the man in the face causing blood to gush from his nose. One of the men looking on nodded in approval at the action. He was older, mid forties probably, and had an authoritative air about him. He appeared to be in charge of the situation. Herbie looked to him for instruction on what to next. He seemed vaguely familiar to Shelly but she couldn't place him, she studied his face memorizing it for future reference. _

_Hoping that they were just going to scare or mildly hurt the helpless man she kept quiet knowing there was nothing she could do against so many. Herbie hit the man a few more times and asked him several questions. Then after looking at the boss Herbie simply shot the wounded man in the head the blood spraying onto the wall behind him. Shelly gagged and spun around and raced for the door. Mentally cursing when she bumped into something but didn't stop to find out what it was not realizing that she had left something behind, something that would lead them straight to her._

_Panicked Shelly ran to the one place she felt safe. Pausing in her backyard fighting back tears and hysteria she suddenly remembered why she had left the house in the first place. She couldn't face them, couldn't put them in danger because of her. She had thought Herbie was a_ _good_ _person, had thought he just might be the man for her but she had been wrong. And that mistake might cost her everything. Climbing on the roof silently she prayed that she could sneak in with out alerting anyone to her presence. Gathering her things she silently bid farewell to everything she had ever known. Knowing that she needed to hide incase anyone came looking for her. The taking her cell phone and sticking it in her jacket pocket she planed to call the police as soon as she left town. She couldn't let Herbie get away with killing someone no matter what feelings she may have had for him. Climbing back out the window as silently as she had come Shelly headed for the bus station._

"Shelly?" John questioned breaking into her thoughts.

Shelly blinked and focused her eyes on John realizing that he had asked her something but not knowing what it was. "What?"

"Who shot you?" John asked getting to the most important question first.

"I don't know." She answered honestly, her voice trembling with the effort to speak.

Michael watched her face and noticed that she was still flushed. Sitting on the side of the bed next to her he reached over and put a hand on her forehead. "You still feel warm I need to take your temperature." Taking out an ear thermometer he turned her head gently and gently place it in her ear. Smiling a little when she jerked away with a "what the hell is that?" he explained what it was and how it worked.

Noting that Shelly still had a high fever and was almost falling asleep right there he turned to John and said, "This isn't the time. She needs to sleep."

Thanking God for the short reprieve Shelly drifted back to sleep after finishing off the water Michael had handed her, leaving the two men again wondering what had happened and why.

John watched Shelly sleep feeling more protective of her then he had thought possible. As an FBI agent he was trained to stay detached but this was different then anything he had ever dealt with before. For one Shelly was his sister even if she didn't know it yet and that made him feel responsible for her and there was just something about her, a vulnerability that she tried so hard to hide, that called to his protective side. Sighing he moved a chair close to the bed and sat down noticing that Michael had done the same thing. This was going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 9

John watched as Shelly tossed and turned on the bed restlessly. If she was dreaming it obviously wasn't a pleasant dream. He looked over at Michael who had fallen asleep about an hour ago then back at Shelly wondering what she was dreaming about. Shifting in the chair trying to get more comfortable he closed his eyes to rest them. He needed sleep but he just couldn't succumb to it out of fear that Shelly would need him and he wouldn't hear her.

_She was dreaming, Shelly knew this. But this wasn't any ordinary dream this was a different kind of dream. One in which images flashed before her like a kaleidoscope yet managed to leave a lasting impression in her brain. First a man holding a gun, then a flash of light and a feeling of inevitability and then nothing, just darkness. Slowly a light began to shine and focus on a bed. The images slowed and became sluggish. The image of the bed moved closer and Shelly could see that it was a hospital bed and that there was a person in it. As it came closer yet she gasped, stunned to see that the person in the bed was herself. _

_The imaged changed yet again and suddenly she was seeing a hospital O.R. and there were doctors standing around the bed working on her. John's brother Michael was there, looking frantic as he worked on her. Shelly watched all this with a strange detachment, taking in all the details as a cop would a crime scene. Again she noticed something different about this dream, usually these dreams came and they were silent only images but this dream there was sound. She could hear what the doctors were saying and hear the beeping of the machines. Suddenly the steady beeping became one long beeeeeep. "We're loosing her!" one of the nurses said and then she saw Michael shove a nurse aside and heard him say, "We are not loosing her! She is my sister and I won't let her die!"_

Shelly woke up with a gasp looking around wildly. Clutching her head with her hands trying to shut out the blinding pain caused by the dream she looked around. Sitting up she saw John staring at her with wide concerned eyes. Her heart beating like a jackhammer she recalled the dream with perfect clarity and knew that it hadn't been a dream at all. It had been a vision but unlike her normal visions this one had been about her, possibly her death. But that wasn't what was disturbing her the most at the moment. Michael had called her his sister in the vision. If she was Michael's sister and Michael was John's brother that made John her brother! Suddenly everything made sense, the fact that she had been having visions about him, the fact that he had come to her home and why he had seemed to care about her before he even knew anything about her. In her gut she knew that who he was but she needed to hear him say it, she needed that final proof before she could fully accept it.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

"My name is John McBain. I'm an FBI agent," John answered wondering if the fever had caused some sort of temporary amnesia.

Shelly shook her head and said, "No, who are you to me?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean." John replied, knowing that there was no way she could possibly know that he was her biological brother. Looking into her intelligent green eyes he saw something that made him pause. There was an unfathomable look in them that made him suddenly unsure of what she knew.

Michael began to stir in his chair, opening his eyes and stretching as he tried to wake up. Looking from John to Shelly then back to John he noticed a tension between them but didn't understand the cause of it. Looking at Shelly again he asked, "Are you ok?" He took her temperature again and was relieved to see that it had gone down to almost normal. Noticing that neither John nor Shelly had spoken a word to each other but were silently sizing each other up he asked, "Ok what's going on? Did something happen that I should know about?"

Shelly looked at Michael and said to both of them, "Well since this concerns both of you I might as well come right out and ask. Are you my biological family? Is that clear enough, John? Or even more to the point are you my brothers?"

John and Michael looked at each other both clearly shocked at the question, silent communication flowing between them as they looked at each other. Michael gave a slight nod indicating that he thought that they she tell her the truth. John looked straight into her eyes and said decisively, "Yes."

Shelly nodded at this answer; it confirmed what she had already known. "So the case you were working on was me? You knew who I was, that we were related, before you came to my house?" Feeling weaker by the minute she struggled to stay upright, needing to know the answers to her questions.

"Yes."

Nodding again she lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes and went to sleep and began to dream yet again.

_After leaving home and heading to the bus station Shelly noticed that she was being followed. Lifting her bag a little higher she began to jog hoping she could make it to the station before any trouble broke out. Looking behind her she saw that the man was still following her and had in fact gained some ground on her. Ducking into an alley and dropping her bag to the ground she decided that running wasn't the answer. There was only one guy and she felt that she could take him. Crouching into a fighting stance she waited for her pursuer to come. _

_As he rounded the corner into the alley Shelly made her move. Lashing out with her leg she knocked him to the ground. He was up again in seconds and reaching for something behind him. Shelly recognized him from the gym and knew that this man was a murderer. Lashing out again with her fist she landed a square punch to his jaw and then threw another punch to his stomach doubling him over. Clasping her hands together she brought them down forcefully on to the back of his head knocking him out. _

_Sighing with relief when he went down and didn't get back up Shelly grabbed her bag and began to run to the bus station. Tripping on a piece of wood Shelly fell to the ground hard. Stunned it took her a moment to get up and when she did she heard shouting behind her. Turning quickly to see what was behind her she heard a sharp crack and then gasped in shock as she felt a searing pain in her stomach. Realizing that she had just been shot she clutched her wound and ran to the station, which was very close. She jumped on a bus without buying a ticked hoping that no one would notice. _

_She must have been just on time because as soon as she was seated the bus began to move. Thinking god that she had been so fortunate to get on the bus she looked around and noticed that the back of the bus was empty. That was good because she needed to tend to her wound. The pain in her stomach almost unbearable and it was bleeding a lot. Taking a shirt from her bag she ripped it into strips and lifted her shirt to get a look at her wound. It was bad but there wasn't anything she could do about it but stop the bleeding and wrap it up. Breathless with pain Shelly folded a strip of shirt and pressed it hard against the bullet hole, just about passing out from the pain of it. It was all she could do to stay conscious but she knew she needed to wrap it to keep the makeshift bandage in place. Using every bit of will power she possessed she took another strip of shirt and wrapping it around her and tying it firmly she pulled down her shirt and then finally gave in to the pain and passed out._

_Waking several hours' later feeling like her body was on fire she noticed that the bus was slowing down. Gathering her things she prepared to get off again hoping that no one noticed that she didn't have a ticket. As luck would have it no one even noticed her as she got off. Looking around it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know where she was. That was good she thought if she didn't know where she was then Herbie wouldn't be able to find her. Walking or more like staggering to the nearest motel she got a room and collapsed onto the bed pulling the covers over her suddenly feeling cold. Waking on and off she drifted in a state of confusion until one time she opened her eyes and John was there._

John watched as yet again Shelly drifted off to sleep. Unable to believe that she hadn't said more about him being her brother and confused as to how she even knew to ask such a thing he started when Michael's phone rang. It was the hospital and they needed him to come back to work right away, there had been a car accident and they needed all the doctors they could get. Giving Michael a hug and promising that he would bring Shelly to Llanview as soon as it was safe, though from what he still didn't know, Michael left leaving John to watch over Shelly and nurse her back to health.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**

**Chapter 10**

John was watching Shelly sleep when his phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID he noticed that it was his boss. Wondering what he wanted he answered it. "Hello."

"What the hell is going on up there?" Spangler demanded with out preamble.

"What are you talking about?" John asked knowing there was no way that Spangler knew that Shelly had been shot and that they were in hiding...sorta.

"Well for one there was a murder at the local gym yesterday. A man named Russell Smith was found beaten and shot in the head and evidence that your sister was there was found at the scene."

"What!" John exclaimed glancing at Shelly who was still sleeping.

"We believe she witnessed the whole thing and now it seems that she is missing."

"Well that explains a lot." John muttered understanding at least some of what had happened yesterday.

"Well explain it to me then cause I would really love to know!" Spangler snapped, angry at being left in the dark.

John explained about how Shelly had found out that she was adopted and had run off. He told his boss how he had found her earring at the underpass and how he had tracked her down only to find her unconscious with a gunshot wound.

They talked for a minute more going over a plan of action then Spangler said in a confidential tone, "There is something you need to know John if you intend to go through with this plan."

"Of course I intend to do this she's my sister, I have to do this." John told his boss determinedly. He wouldn't be able to live with him self if he didn't do everything possible to protect her, he couldn't lose another family member to violence if there was something he could do to stop it. "What do I need to know?"

"There has been a hit put out on your sister by the Carpelli family." Spangler told him grimly. "Until she tells you what she saw there isn't anything the bureau can do the protect her."

John sighed loudly and with passion. He should have known something like this would happen. Nothing in his life was ever simple. To his boss he simply said, "Understood" and disconnected the call. Looking over at Shelly he began to worry about how they were going to get out of this.

* * *

They had been in hiding for 3 days and John felt like he was going to go crazy. Staying in this dingy motel room sleeping on the couch was killing his back. Shelly still had the bed and was getting better remarkably fast. She hadn't said another word about their relationship and he was unsure how to bring it up, or even if he should. Sighing deeply he stepped into the bathroom, grateful that the place had a decent shower at least. In his career with the FBI he had stayed at worse places so he couldn't figure out what was causing his bad mood.

After getting in touch with Christina, Shelly's best friend, they had broken off all contact with her family and friends. He could tell she missed them a lot but was impressed that she never voiced it. She didn't complain about anything but nor would she tell him exactly what she had seen that night either. He thought she was protecting someone but he couldn't be sure. He had never had a harder time reading someone. Shelly had amazing control over her emotions when she put her mind to it. After a minute more of brooding John turned on the water and stepped in the shower.

Shelly lay in the bed and sighed to herself. She didn't know what to feel about John on one hand she was happy she had another brother and that he was an honorable guy but on the other hand she was still pissed at being lied to and being treated like a child. Sure she was only 16 but she felt like she had been around much longer. Perhaps it was because her dreams had shown her so much, both the good and bad, but she felt like she knew things, things other people didn't learn until much later in life, if ever.

She snorted at herself, maybe she was just conceited but she felt like she was better, like she was destined to make a difference in the world. She didn't want to wait to make that difference she wanted to do it now, while she was still young enough to see it through, she wasn't sure what but it felt like she should be... ... "Ahhhhhh" Shelly cried out loudly.

John came racing into the room a second later wearing a terry cloth robe and dripping wet, "What's the matter?" He asked as soon as he got to the bed.

Shelly grabbed her head in agony as pain shot through her brain like a bolt of lightning. Images flashed in her brain, "Nooo!" she cried out as the images became clearer. She was seeing the clerk at the motel where they were staying. He was watching Nashville star on the T.V. A man wearing a dark coat, pants and hat came in the office and held up a gun and demanded all the money he had. The clerk gave the man the money but the robber shot him anyway in the chest. Shelly watched as the clerked twitched on the floor and then died she looked up and noticed the time that was on the clock on the wall. Suddenly she was back in the motel room and looking into John's worried face.

"Shelly? Are you ok?" John asked concerned. She seemed to be coming out of what ever had just happened. He didn't know what exactly happened but she had grabbed her head as if in severe pain, then stopped moving for a minute, her breathing going from labored to very shallow.

"Wha...?" Shelly started, confused and disoriented for a second then remembered what had happened. She had had a vision! During the day, while she was awake! That had never happened before. Never had the visions come while she was awake, always while she was sleeping! Glancing up again she saw the clock on the wall, "Oh no!" she only had a few minutes! She had to stop that robbery. Thinking frantically she tried to think of a way to get John to help that poor clerk without telling him about the vision.

Suddenly she had an idea, "John I think I saw someone outside the window. I think it was the clerk that works in the office!" She said hoping to make John suspicious of the clerk so he would go check on him bringing his gun.

John looked at her trying to figure out if that's all that it was but decided to take her word for it. "Ok, I'm gonna go check out to office to see if he is there and to see if he might have had a reason to be out side the window." John said heading into the bathroom to get dressed. After he got dressed he got out his gun and cautiously went to the motel office.

After he left Shelly fretted anxiously hoping she had done the right thing. Five minutes went by, then ten, and she started to really get worried. Getting off the bed she walked to the door holding her side. She stood there with her hand on the door handle for a minute, debating with herself, then decided to make sure John was ok. Turning the handle and opening the door she gave a startled yelp when she saw John standing just outside the door looking just as startled. Clearly he had been just about to open the door himself.

"Are you ok?" Shelly asked a bit breathlessly.

Thinking that she was worrying about his encounter with the clerk he said, "Yeah I'm fine. The clerk is ok. But something happened when I got to the office."

"Yeah? What?" She asked already knowing what happened or rather what could have happened.

"Some punk kid tried to rob the place. I chased him off." John told her. He told her all the details then went back into the bathroom to finish his shower and to shave, leaving Shelly to brood about what had happened and how it happened. She was scared that she had gotten a vision during the day. Her gift was changing and she didn't understand why, or if it was a good thing. Well it was a good thing for that poor clerk but what if it changed her? What would she do then? What could she do? Right now it didn't seem like there was anything she could do about this or anything else in her life for that matter.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 11

Coming in the room with groceries John heard it right away. Looking around the room he didn't even see Shelly but he knew she was here he could here her music all the way out here and she was using headphones! Going into the bathroom without knocking, he knew she wouldn't hear him anyway, he saw that she was standing in front of the mirror looking at her wound. Still red and raw looking it looked bad but it had been healing nicely. It would likely leave a hell of a scar though.

Reaching out he turned the music down on the player and Shelly spun around quickly. He saw the look of fear on her face and immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Shelly was embarrassed that he had been able to sneak up on her. Here she was wanting to be an FBI agent and he had not only gotten into the room with out her noticing he had made it to the bathroom and right next to her! She sighed knowing that it was her fault; if she hadn't had the music up so loud it wouldn't have happened. It had been a week but she still hadn't gotten used to having John around, she still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he was her brother. She knew he was trying and that it would take time but a part of her still didn't trust him fully. After Herbie's betrayal she didn't know if she would ever trust anyone ever again. She had loved him and trusted him and he had lied to her. He hadn't been the person she had thought he was and that seriously undermined her confidence in her own judgment.

If she had been so wrong about Herbie what else had she been wrong about? Even her parents hadn't been who they said they were, no one was ever what they seemed at first. Brushing away a tear that had leaked out she smiled at John self-consciously and took off her earphones. "Its ok, I shouldn't have had them up so loud. I couldn't help it, I love that song." She told him grinning a bit.

John wondered what song had been so good she needed to listen to it at full volume. "Mind if I listen?" he asked.

Shelly shook her head and handed him her headphones. "Its song four." She told him knowing he was gonna hate the song.

John put the headphones on and turned the CD to song four. It was a fast song and he had trouble making out the words. The words to the second verse were very clear though and he began to blush. "You're beside me on the seat, got your hand between my knees and you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze." Was as far as he got before he whipped off the headphones and stammered, "You like that song? Do you know what its about? Its filthy!"

Holding back her laughter and looking at him seriously she asked, "What's wrong with the song? It's about a guy taking his girlfriend on a date. What's filthy about that?"

"It's...It's...It's about sex!" John stammered blushing furiously.

Shelly couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out laughing. "It just a song, John." She said still laughing. "It's called 'Animals' By Nickleback. Besides its not like I don't know about sex."

"You're not... you haven't umm what I mean is..." John asked cautiously. He didn't want to think his 16 year old sister was having sex but he knew that kids were becoming active younger and younger these days.

Shelly rolled her eyes at John and wondered how the hell they ended up on this subject. "My sex life is none of your business John. Am I asking you if you are sleeping with anyone? No cause it's not my business." Shelly said finally.

"Does that mean you have one?"

"No John I am not having sex, now or ever." Shelly said. Horribly embarrassed she headed into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. Looking at her fingernails she decided that they needed some polish. Taking out a bottle of polish, the only one she had with her, she started to paint them. Ignoring John she put her headphones back on and continued to paint her nails.

After about an hour of silence Shelly decided that she was over reacting and turned off the cd player and looked at John, who was reading a book. "I'm sorry. I over reacted. I am just so sick of this stupid room and my stomach hurts. But that's no reason to take it out on you."

John looked up from his book and smiled quickly at her. "It's ok, I know its hard being stuck in here but hopefully it won't be for much longer." He took a deep breath, knowing that this could be the time to get her to open up a little and said, "You know, if you told me what happened that night maybe we would be able to catch the guys that put the hit out on you much faster."

Shelly thought about it for a minute trying to decide if she should tell him. She still loved Herbie but he had murdered a man and he had to be punished for that. Deciding to tell John what happened she sighed and started her story, "After I found out I was adopted I went to the underpass near the river and tried to calm down..."

John listened quietly as she told her story and wrapped his arms around her protectively when she was finished. Hugging her felt good, he finally felt like he was really her brother and she his sister and he liked that. He was sorry she had to go through so much but he was glad she finally told him; glad she finally let it out. He knew what it felt like to be betrayed by someone you thought you could trust and he knew what that did to your belief in yourself. At least now he understood why she hadn't told him before.

Shelly pulled back from the hug after a while and looked down, not wanting him to see her tears. She felt like a baby for crying. "Thanks," she muttered and went to the kitchenette. In reality it was only a small refrigerator and tiny sink but it was all they had. Taking out some cold cuts she made herself a sandwich. "Want one?"

John nodded knowing she needed a minute to compose herself. After they had eaten the fell into a comfortable silence.

Later that night John got a call from his boss. He needed to go meet him somewhere to talk about some sensitive problems. At first he didn't want to leave but Shelly convinced him that she would be fine for a little while. Promising to be gone no more then a half an hour he left.

Shelly began to clean up a mess when someone knocked on the door. Thinking John had forgotten his key she hurried over to open the door. "Forget your key?" she asked playfully as she opened the door. She gasped in shock at who she saw when she looked up. "You!" She hissed and tried to slam the door in his face.

Herbie grabbed the door and forced his foot in the door. Forcing the door open, he displayed a gun and said, "Put your shoes on we're going for a walk."

Shelly bent over and slid her shoes on, wincing as the movement sent a shaft of pain through her stomach. Keeping her eyes firmly on the gun in Herbie's hand she took her coat and waited for further instructions. "My friend will be back any minute," she told him.

"You're lying," Herbie said, " I was listening through the door. We've got plenty of time before Mr. FBI gets back Now out the door." Herbie told her and stuck the gun in her back propelling her along a dirt path behind the motel.

"What are you going to do to me?" Shelly asked him when they came to a bench in the woods and he told her to stop.

"Nothing. I came here to talk to you, that's all." Herbie said, still aiming the gun at her.

"If all you wanted was to talk why the gun? And why are you still pointing it at me?" Shelly asked, not believing for a second that's why they were there. She believed that he was going to kill her any minute.

"If I put the gun away will you stay and listen to what I have to say?" Herbie asked suspiciously. He didn't think so. He thought she would either try to attack him or run away.

"Yes Herbie, if you put the gun away I'll listen to what you have to say." Shelly said, confused. If he wanted her dead why was he so concerned with talking to her? Why was he, even now, waiting to shoot her? It didn't make sense, if he wanted her dead why not just shoot her the minute they got away from the motel?

"First my name isn't really Herbie and second do you promise not to attack me or try to run away the minute I lower the gun?" He asked.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**Chapter 12**

"What the hell do you mean your name isn't Herbie?" Shelly demanded. More confused then scared now she stared at the man that she had thought she had known. It turned out that she hadn't known him at all, not even his name.

Getting impatient and knowing that John would be back soon Herbie, or whoever he was, paced back and forth and demanded, "I'll explain everything later but for right now do you promise not to try to get away the minute I lower the gun?"

Shelly was even more confused by his continued pleas. These weren't the actions of a hardened killer. She didn't know what to make of this, but it seemed like he wasn't going to kill her. Deciding to hear him out, for the moment, she nodded, "I promise."

He slowly lowered the gun and stuck it in the back of his pants. Sitting on the bench he motioned for Shelly to sit as well, smiling sadly when she sat as far away from him as possible. He had come to care for her a great deal over the past few months and had actually come here to warn her. But he knew she needed to know the whole story before she would believe him. This wasn't a decision he made lightly but he knew he couldn't live with himself if something should happen to her and he could have prevented it.

"My name isn't Herbie, it's Rex Balsom." He began slowly relieved to finally use his real name for the first time in 6 months. "I'm using a fake name because it's the only way I could get close to the Carpelli family."

Shelly started at him in shock, her mind reeling at this information. Trying to process this new information she asked the only question she could think of at the moment, "Why were you dating me? I had nothing to do with the Carpelli Family until you came along." Feeling betrayed and her voice bitter she looked at him with assessing eyes, trying to determine if he was lying to her.

"Because they told me to." Rex said honestly. The Carpelli's had told him to stick close to her and find out all there was to know about her. It wasn't until later that he had become emotionally involved with Shelly and he hated that he had hurt her but some things were more important.

"OK Rex, if that is your name," she said sarcastically, "Why are you trying to get close to the Carpelli's and why did they want you to date me?"

"It is," Rex said, " Look can I start from the beginning? Its kind of a long story."

Shelly nodded and waited for him to continue, feeling more and more at ease with him.

"About 8 months ago my sister was abducted. For over a month no one knew anything but then the police got a tip that she was being held against her will by a member of the Carpelli family. They couldn't do anything about it since it was an anonymous tip. I studied the Carpelli's and learned as much as I could about them. I needed to know enough about them to look good but not enough to look suspicious. Then I went undercover to get close to them, to save my sister."

"I saw you kill a man, that didn't look like just gathering information."

Rex looked at her sharply, "How did you know that?"

"I saw you! You already know that." Waving a hand dismissively she said, "It doesn't matter, what matters is that you killed a man. How could you kill a man?"

"You have to understand that I love my sister more then anyone else in the world. We had a rotten childhood and she took care of me when there was no one else. She believed in me and loved me when I didn't even believe in myself and I would do anything for her. I didn't want to kill that guy but the boss wanted me to do it. I couldn't refuse and if I had they would have killed me. I have to save my sister! You would do the same for your brothers, I know you would."

Shelly nodded surprised by the passion in his voice. In the 2 months they had been together he hadn't once show the depth of feeling he was showing now. Realizing exactly how much he loved his sister she looked at him in a new light. And he was right she would do anything for her brothers, all 4 of them. "Yes I would." She confirmed.

"If I'm gonna find my sister I need to have their trust. But I couldn't just let you disappear with out telling you. Not with out you knowing about the danger you are in." Rex said.

"I know about the hit. I suppose you did that so they would think you were one of them, "she said caustically.

"That's what I'm here to tell you. I didn't do it. The Carpelli family is doing it for someone else. Someone close to you."

"Who?" Shelly wanted to know.

"I don't know. They wouldn't tell me. Everything I know, I learned from eavesdropping. It seems they think I am too emotionally involved with you to know all the details." Rex said softly. Glancing at his watch he noted that they had been talking for 15 minute. He knew the man Shelly was with would be back soon.

"Are you?" Shelly asked softly, hopefully.

"Am I what?" Rex asked a tad confused. Being this near to Shelly again was making thinking straight a little difficult.

"Are you too emotionally involved?" She said a little less shyly.

Rex blushed a bit and looked away. Looking back at her he said, "I'm no good for you. I'm just a guy trying to find his sister. I've done terrible things; you should be with a nice guy, a decent guy. Like the one you are staying at the motel with." Rex finished a bit jealously.

Shelly smiled a bit at his tone despite the circumstances. This was all so much to take in but she believed him, believed that he didn't want to hurt her that he was doing this to find his sister. And she admired him for that. "Herbie... I mean Rex don't you think I should be the one to decide what I want, what I deserve?"

"But what about that guy? Aren't you with him now?" Rex asked again, needing to know but hoping that there was a chance. He was stunned when she moved closer put her hand on the back of his head and kissed him softly.

Pulling back from the gentle kiss she said, " He's my brother Rex." Then kissed him again this time with a bit more force.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Natalie Balsom stared out through the bars on the window of the room she was in. She had been held in this compound for almost 6 months and still no one would tell her why. The bars had been put up after her 3rd escape attempt.

After a while she had accepted that she would be here a while but never did she give up the idea of escape nor the idea of someone coming to rescue her. She didn't have anyone but her brother Rex and her mother Roxy (who was a gambling addict). But still she hoped. She waited for the chance to escape because if there was one thing people said about Natalie it was that she never gave up.

She heard the door open but didn't turn around. No one had touched her sexually but she harbored the secret fear that one day that would change. Hoping that by ignoring them they would simply go away but that wasn't the case today.

"Hello Natalie," A smooth cultured voice said from behind her. Startled by the sound of the voice, having never heard that person before, she spun around and was startled at the person who stood before her. It was Walter Balsom! He father, he was supposed to be dead!

"You, but you are supposed to be dead. Roxy told us you were dead. Why are you here?" Natalie stammered out. "You're my father aren't you, you're Walter Balsom."

Walter smiled smugly and said in a confidential tone, "Yes I am Walter Balsom but I am not your father."

Natalie let out a shocked gasp and sat down on the window ledge, "You're not my father? But.. but. Why are you here then? How is it that you're alive? Why have I been kidnapped?"

Walter smiled even wider and said, "All in do time dear. I just came to tell you that you will be going home soon…. One way or another." With that he turned around and left. Leaving behind Natalie completely shocked and scared.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 13

Shelly pulled back from their increasingly passionate kisses breathing heavily and flushed. "Rex..." She said trying to get her breathing under control.

"I know. This isn't the time." Rex said also breathing heavy. Looking at Shelly he didn't think he had ever seen a more beautiful sight, but he knew that this wasn't the time or the place. He needed to keep a clear head in order to find Natalie. "Or the place." He said remembering where they were.

Shelly nodded and looked at Rex, "Do you know anything else about this hit on me?" Getting back to business and not on what had just transpired between them.

He shook his head no, "I wish I did. Every time I come in the room they stop talking about it and ask me if I know where you are." Looking down he said, " I couldn't tell them anything. I'm so sorry I lied to you."

Shelly was taken aback by the abrupt change in subject. Taking her hand and placing it under his chin she forced him to look at her, "I forgive you. I understand why you did what you did. But you need to know I told John what happened. Or what I thought happened. If he sees you he'll arrest you."

"John? Your brother? He's a cop? You won't tell him what I just told you, will you? He wouldn't believe it and even if he did cops getting involved could get Natalie killed." Rex asked her, concerned at first then curious. He didn't understand how this guy could be her brother. "What's up with that anyway? How is he your brother?"

"It's a long story. I really don't have time to go into detail." Looking at her watch she noticed that it had been 25 minutes since John had left. He would be back soon if he wasn't already. "John is well... he is FBI that's really all I can say. Look I need to get back before he misses me... I won't tell him anything unless he asks. And I won't tell him about your sister. I promise."

Rex nodded; he knew she would keep her word and that she had to get back. He didn't want to let her go but some things were more important then how he felt about her. He really did like her a lot but he needed to find Natalie before anything happened to her, if it hadn't already. "I need to get back too. I have to find Natalie." He said intensely. "Be careful, remember what I said. Someone close to you can't be trusted."

"Well until 20 minutes ago I thought that person was you. But now I know different. What am I supposed to do? Hide from everyone? Herb... Rex I just don't know who to trust anymore." Shelly said on a sigh. Shaking her head she glanced back at the motel and knew she needed to hurry back. Stepping closer to him she brushed a kiss across his lips and murmured, "You be careful too. I hope you find your sister." With that she hurried back down the path and to the motel.

John headed back to the motel grumbling to himself. That meeting had been a waste of time. He hadn't learned anything new and he was still off the kidnapping case. What they didn't know was that he had a copy of all his files with him. He planed to at least look over the case for something he might have overlooked the first time.

Maybe he would have Shelly look at it. A fresh pair of eyes couldn't hurt, and well it would be a way for her to see whether she really wanted to be a FBI agent. Being cooped up in a dingy motel room with a wounded teenager wasn't his idea of a pleasant time, even if that teenager acted more like an adult and was his sister. 'He loved Shelly, but uggh' he thought 'her music alone would drive him into an early grave. He didn't know how many times she could play Nine Inch Nails' Head Like a Hole before he tossed the CD outside and ran over it with the car!'

Glancing at his watch he realized that he had left he alone at the motel for over a half an hour. Getting out of the borrowed car he hurried to the room. Bracing himself for what ever god awful music she was playing now he was stunned to find her, laying with her head at the foot of the bed, reading a book. Usually she blasted music while she read but it appeared that this time he was going to get a short reprieve. "What are you reading?" He asked her.

"The Fine Art of Pressure Points. I want to learn how to disable someone with out using fatal blows. I know some Karate but I want to learn pressure points too." Shelly answered. She had wanted to read this book for a while now, and with this new information Rex told her she figured what better time to learn. She knew that John wasn't the one that had betrayed her cause up until a short time ago they hadn't even known each other but whoever had betrayed her probably knew what her skills were and would have warned whoever was coming after her about them. So now was the perfect time to learn a new skill.

"You know Karate?" John asked curiously, "how come you didn't put that on your application to the FBI?"

"Its not a big deal." She shrugged, "It helps me focus and keeps me in shape. Besides I find it fun. I'm not all that great."

"What color belt do you have?" He asked looking at her strangely. She was acting like it wasn't a big deal but he could tell that this was something that she was proud of. "How long have you been studying karate?"

"About a year and a half. I have been paying for my lessons with the money I got from my job." Looking embarrassed she finally said, "I'm a 4th degree brown belt."

"You're a brown belt after only a year and a half? That's impressive. But why hide it?"

"I don't know. I guess I just didn't want anyone to make a big deal of it. You know how people can be. They look at me funny when they find out I am only 16 and graduating high school this year. If they found out that well I excel at karate too I don't know... I guess I just wanted to be normal for once." Or as normal as she could get when she got visions of the future. "So how did your meeting go?" Purposely changing the subject to a less personal subject. She didn't want to get into secrets right now. Cause she was keeping a big one from him and she didn't think she could hid it from him forever. Sooner or later a vision would come that she couldn't explain away and she knew she would have to tell him everything.

"A bust. Nothing new." John replied smiling at her change in subject. Deciding to follow her obvious desire to change the topic he took out some files and looked at her. "Want to get into some real FBI work?"

"Hell yes!" Shelly said forgetting for a moment at least everything else that was troubling her.

After a while of looking over the files Shelly looked up at John and asked abruptly, "What if Herbie wasn't the one who put a hit out on me? What if it was someone else, someone close to me?"

John stared at her intently trying to gage her, to find out what was going on in her head. "Why do you ask that? Our contacts tell us that it was the Carpelli family and since you saw him murder someone in cold blood who else would it be."

Looking down so he wouldn't see the guilt on her face, "What if Herbie didn't have a choice except to shoot that man? What if he didn't even know I was there?"

Looking at Shelly suspiciously John narrowed his eyes at her, taking in her bowed head and hearing her words. Why would you ask that Shelly? Where is this coming from? Is it because you were involved with him? Sometimes our hearts don't always make the best decisions. Sometimes it causes us not to see the truth."

Shelly shook her head, "No that's not it. I just think there is more to this that meets the eye."

There was something in her voice that made John suspicious, "Just what were you doing while I was out? You called him didn't you? You talked to him and he gave you some sob story so you would tell him where you were?" John just about shouted that last question. Taking hold of her upper arms John held her and looked her straight in the eye, momentarily forgetting that she had been shot just a week ago. "Did you call him Michelle?" he demanded.

Shelly was stunned at his roughness and let out a soft whimper as his actions sent a shaft of pain through her wound. "No I swear John I didn't call him!"

John let her go quickly after he heard her whimper and backed off a step. His sigh of relief turning into a curse when she said, "He came talk to me."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 14 

"Damn it Shelly! What were you thinking talking to him? He could have killed you!" Running a hand through his hair John paced back and forth as he absorbed this new information. She had talked to Herbie; he had been here!

"Well it's not like he gave me a choice!" Shelly told him hotly; irritated that he was angry with her for something that wasn't her fault.

"What's that supposed to mean? What did he do? Pull a gun on you and force you to talk to him?" John asked sarcastically. He blanched when he saw her look away. "He did! He pulled a gun on you and forced you to listen to him! And you're defending him? What the hell did he tell you?"

"It wasn't like that!" Shelly said firmly but he looked skeptical, "Ok it was sorta like that but then he... he..."

"He what? Tell me exactly what happened."

"We went out to the bench in the woods a bit and I thought he was gonna kill me. But he put the gun away and told me why he did what he did. And that he wasn't the one to put out the hit on me. That it was someone else, someone close to me."

"Why did he do what he did?" John asked; he couldn't believe Shelly was so fooled by this guy. That must have been some story he told her!

"I can't tell you." Shelly said.

John did a double take and stared at her in disbelief, "Why the hell not!"

"I promised." She said simply.

"You promised! What the hell does that mean? Why did you promise that murderer anything!" John demanded vehemently. "I can't believe you Shelly? What were you thinking?"

"He didn't have a choice! They would have killed him if he didn't do it." Shelly yelled right back at him. She began pacing the floor as well. She wanted to tell John what really happened but she had promised Rex, Rex it felt weird calling him that, she wouldn't mention Natalie, his sister. She couldn't really tell John much with out mentioning the reason Rex was doing all this. "He could have killed me right then and there John, but he didn't! I believed him John. I really don't think he was the one who wants me dead but I need to find out who does."

"He didn't have a choice? What does that mean?" John asked calming down slightly.

"Sit down and stop yelling and I will tell you what I can." She said firmly sitting on her bed. Seeing John struggling to get control of his emotions Shelly took a moment to get her thoughts in order. After a minute she began to speak. "He came to me and told me that he was undercover in the Mafia because someone close to him, some one he loves, has been kidnapped by them. He hopes to find her and save her. They were testing him with that guy at the gym. If he didn't kill that scumbag they would have killed him."

"What is Herbie's real name?" John wanted to know. He didn't know if he believed this or not but he knew that this was how the Mafia tested and initiated their members. But Herbie or whoever the hell he was would know that too and be using that story to persuade Shelly to listen to him. But why would he want Shelly on his side? That was the question.

"I can't tell you. I promised not to tell you anything that might screw up his chances to rescue his..." Shelly broke off realizing she had almost said too much. Looking down at her hands so he wouldn't see her guilty expression.

"Rescue his what?" John said encouragingly. Looking at her sharply when she didn't answer he noticed her hands were shaking slightly and she seemed nervous. "Ok, Ok I get it you can't tell me." He looked at her closer and noticed that she had gone rigid and was clutching her head. "Shelly?"

Shelly wasn't seeing John or anything in the room any more. She was seeing John and herself enter the motel room and then she was looking at a black four door BMW. There were four menacing looking men in the car staring intently at their door. The passenger riding shotgun took out his cell phone and made a call. After a minute he hung up and turned around to talk to the two men in the back seat. They nodded and took out a large case and began to assemble a...a...Rocket Launcher! Her breath catching in terror she watched as one of the men got out and aim the rocket launcher at the door of their room. Sending the rocket straight into their room she watched in horror as the whole building exploded in a ball of fire, debris pelting the parking lot as a scream of agony cried out in the chaos.

Coming back into herself she realized that she was the one screaming. Holding her hands to her temples she tried to block out the pain. Hearing her name being called over and over she finally opened her eyes and looked at John. He looked terrified.

"Shelly? Answer me! What's wrong? Are you ok?" John practically yelled in his concern for her. Noticing she was coming around he stopped shaking her and sat her up. When she had collapsed to the floor and started screaming he had just about had a heart attack. Something must be terribly wrong for her to be having headaches this bad.

Sitting up and looking around she noticed that she had fallen on the floor. Looking at John again she saw the concern in his face. "We gotta get out of here. Now!" She said standing up and starting to pack. The last time she had had a vision during the day the events of that vision had happened shortly after the vision. She knew, she felt it, that this would be the same. Looking at him staring at her she said, "We need to leave now!"

John didn't know what to think about all this. First they are talking then she was on the floor in pain and now she was telling them they had to leave now this minute. To say he was very confused was an understatement. He could also see that she was serious about leaving so he gathered up his stuff, what there was of it, and put it all in his bag.

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Still in shock over the revelation that Walter Balsom was alive, not her biological father, and apparently had been in on abducting her, Natalie sat on the bed thinking. She needed to get out of here and she needed to get out soon. Not knowing why she had been kidnapped made everything more difficult for her. Being trapped in this godforsaken room was enough to make her nuts.

Running a hand through her beautiful red hair she sighed. She thought about her family. Roxy was probably at the casinos and Rex...well Rex was probably very worried about her. She had never left for so long with out contacting him. She was worried that Rex might do something stupid. For all his toughness and street smarts Rex was loyal to the bone and would do anything for those he loved. Which was why she was so worried that he might figure out where she was and try to save her. She had to save herself before he could get hurt.

Again hearing the door open she tensed and looked up at the door. Seeing that it was just someone to bring her food she relaxed and waited for them to leave. She wasn't hungry but she knew she needed to eat to keep her strength up. Looking over the plate for something she could use as a weapon or something she could use to pick the lock on the door and sneak out.

Finding nothing on the plate she could use she ate her dinner and flopped back on the bed wondering when this life of captivity would end. Getting up again and walking to the window she saw people outside and longed to be home, at her apartment. She snorted, her apartment had probably been rented out already since she hadn't been there, hadn't paid rent min six months. All her possessions had probably been sold or thrown out, not that she had much. Shaking the depressing thoughts from her head she tried to think of a way to escape.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**Chapter 15**

As Shelly and John rushed to get their things together John wondered what the hurry was. Stopping to look out the window he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Shelly saw him and said, "Come on we don't have much time before..."

"Much time before what?" John asked.

"If we don't get out of here soon you'll find out personally." Shelly said cryptically as she finished packing her things. "Ok lets go," she motioned for John to follow her out the back door, wincing as the heavy bag pulled at the wound in her stomach.

John opened his mouth to ask another question but she was already headed out the back door. Shrugging to himself John grabbed his things and followed her out, planning to demand answers as soon as they got in the car.

Once Shelly got to the parking lot she scanned the area for the Black BMW she had seen in her vision. Not seeing it she ran for the car and jumped in the drivers seat. "Hey!" John exclaimed, "This is my car!"

"Worry about that later," Shelly told him as she spotted the BMW. Throwing the car in drive she floored it the minute John shut the door. "Got your gun ready?" She asked him as she noticed the guys in the BMW had spotted them.

John looked at her sharply, "Yeah. Why?"

"Cause we're gonna need it." No sooner did she get the words out then the back window exploded. "Shit!" Shelly yelled and swerved to the left hoping to avoid any further shots. Pulling onto the freeway she gunned the engine, the needle reaching 70 in a matter of seconds.

John had his gun out and was pointing it out the back window looking for the shooter. "Which car is it?" He demanded sounding completely calm.

"Black BMW, four door license plate FHT-485" Shelly responded, remembering the details from her vision. Swerving around several cars she swore to her self softly. She wasn't used to driving so fast and her stomach hurt like the blazes. But the need to get away overshadowed everything.

John was impressed by her driving and her memory (not knowing she had gotten a good look at the car in a vision) and searched for the car. Seeing it rapidly closing on them he yelled, "Faster! They're gaining on us." Firing off a couple rounds he was pleased to see the BMW swerve violently and slow down a bit. Then he noticed them messing with something in the car. "What are they doing?" He muttered.

Shelly heard him and suddenly remembered the rocket launcher, "Shit! Can they fire a rocket launcher in a moving car?"

John turned and looked at her quickly before returning his gaze to the perusing car, "What makes you think that they have...?" he trailed off when one of the men leaned out the window of the BMW with a rocket launcher. "Jesus!" He whispered; these guys meant business. "I think so."

"What do I do?" Shelly shouted in her panic. Traffic was slowing down and she didn't know these roads well.

John looked around taking note of their position and mentally calculated their location. Finding that he did indeed know the area he looked for a turnoff, hoping they hadn't passed it. Since they were pushing 90 it was entirely possible they had. Seeing an exit warning he said to her, "Take the next exit and then turn right. Keep going till you see a church then take another right. Go straight down that road and pull into the long driveway. That should loose them."

"Right!" Shelly agreed and sped up some more. Seeing the exit she braked hard and fishtailed around the exit turn. Blowing through the stop sign she flew around the turn doing 50. At that moment she saw something fly past them and strike an abandoned building of some kind and the building exploded into a ball of flames. Breathless with terror Shelly saw the church and whipped the wheel right the car skidding around the turn almost flipping.

"Jesus Shelly! Don't kill us!" John hissed at her clutching the seat. Seeing that the BMW had plowed into the field unable to make the turn in time John saw the chance to loose their pursuers. "There!" Pointing to the driveway he motioned for her to pull in.

Shelly sped into the driveway; thanking god it was paved and they wouldn't kick up dust with the car. Following the driveway for almost 2 miles going 60 she was surprised when it came out right next to I-95. Looking in the mirror every few seconds she saw that they had lost them.

"Slow down, we lost them." John said also noticing the BMW was no longer behind them. "Pull over here." Indicating a secluded area.

Shelly pulled over and put the car in park. "What now?" She asked, having no experience in this type of thing she was scared out of her mind.

John looked over at her in amazement, "You're amazing you know that? You drove that car like a pro and kept your head about you."

Shelly smiled weakly at him and asked; "You wanna drive now?" then began to laugh uncontrollably, releasing the bent up tension.

John laughed more in relief then in amusement, "I think I should." He was a bit concerned when she just kept laughing and was relieved when she finally stopped.

They switched sides and when Shelly got in the passenger side and clutched her stomach and bent over putting her head between her legs trying not to freak out as the reality of what just happened hit her like a ton of bricks. Taking deep breaths she tried to push down the hysteria that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Shelly are you ok?" John asked, concerned. She had been so calm during the chase but not it looked like she might loose it. "Take deep breaths," he told her as he pulled on to the street and drove off.

Shelly finally calmed down enough to notice they head started driving again. "Where are we going?" She asked. Looking around she didn't recognize where they were.

"We are going to somewhere I know is safe. We should have left the motel days ago but I wanted to wait till you were well enough." He explained. Now that they were safe for the moment his brain was working, trying to figure out how they were found. The obvious answer was that Herbie had given them up but he didn't think now was the time to say so.

Shelly finally was calming down from her adrenalin high and it left her feeling drained... spent and more tired then she could ever remember being. Resting her head against the door she fell asleep.

John looked over at Shelly and saw that she had fallen asleep. He knew that it was reaction from the excitement and terror they had just been through. He was still hopped up on adrenaline and was wide-awake but he knew when he came down off it he would be wiped out.

Several hours later Shelly stirred and opened her eyes. Looking around she noticed that it was pitch black out side. "Where are we?" She asked.

"Still in PA," he said, "We're almost there."

"Where?" Confused that he seemed to be avoiding the question.

"You'll see," Was all he would say. They were silent for another half an hour and John pulled onto a dirt road and followed it for several miles until they ended up in front of a beautiful log cabin style house. It was small but very charming.

"My dad...Our dad," he corrected, "used to bring us up here. The guy that owns it is in Europe right now. I was gonna come up here after my case was over for some R&R."

Shelly smiled a bit and opened the car door to get out. "We need to change cars," she said absently.

John led the way in after checking out the place to make sure it was empty. "Yeah I know," he replied, "I have a plan." He began to unpack his stuff and set it out on the coffee table.

Shelly sat on the couch across from him and sucked in a breath as the movement hurt her stomach. Shelly looked at him expectantly. When he didn't answer she finally asked, "Well?"

"First things first. How did you know that we had been found?" John asked getting straight to the thing that had been bothering him.

Shelly stared at him for a minute trying to decide what to tell him. She knew he would laugh at her if she told him the truth but also knew if she lied he would be able to tell. Finally she simply said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

"Try me," John answered promptly.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**Chapter 16**

Shelly sighed. Try me he said, as if it were that simple. As if this wasn't something she had hid from everyone including her parents, (it was too hard not to think of them as her parents so she had stopped trying) and her brothers. She hadn't told anyone but Chris and she had waited years before telling even her.

Seeing that John was waiting for her answer she finally sighed again and took a deep breath. Only the truth would do right now. She didn't know if he would believe her, well she knew he probably would not believe her but he could spot a lie a mile away. "I had a vision."

"A vision?" John asked stupidly, thinking he had heard wrong. Of all the answers he had expected that had not been it, not even close.

"Yes, a vision."

"Come on. You expect me to believe that?" John said incredulously.

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me," She sulked stung by his tone even though she had expected it.

"Come on Shelly you really expect me to believe you have visions?" John asked again.

"Look believe it or not it's the truth. Why do you think I never told anyone before? I knew they wouldn't believe me, not even family." Shelly got up, grabbed her bag and headed into the bedroom that John had said she could use. Sitting down on the bed she opened the bag and took out her journal. Lying down on the bed she began to write about the last two visions she had trying to hold back her tears at John's reaction. She had known he wouldn't believe her but it still hurt.

John sat dumbfounded in the chair. He just couldn't believe that she had visions. Sister or no it was just too crazy. But... how else could she have known about the thugs that almost killed them? He sat there for over an hour trying to understand. Finally he got up and knocked on Shelly's door, "Look I'm sorry I didn't believe you. Can I come in so we can talk about this?"

After a minute Shelly opened the door and let him in. She turned and walked to the bed without saying a word. Sitting down she looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

John came in the room and sat down next to her on the bed, pushing aside her journal as he sat. "I'm sorry that I reacted badly but this is a lot to take in. Maybe if you tell me about your visions I cold understand better." Hoping to get her talking and maybe show her exactly how crazy she sounded talking of visions.

Shelly sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, and nodded. Maybe if she told him how she started getting them and maybe told him details of that last one he would believe her. So she started talking, telling him how she had started getting them and even went so far as to describe in detail that last vision to him. When she finally stopped talking she looked at him again, he still looked disbelieving. "You still don't believe me?" she demanded.

"Well..." John said, "I believe that you believe you have visions."

"Do you think I want to have these visions? That I like the pounding headaches and the terrible images I see in them? Do you have any idea what its like to watch people die and not be able to do anything about it? To watch your own death and know that there isn't much you can do to stop it? I hate these visions and I curse the day I started getting them!" Shelly cried out and ran for the door. Tripping on her bag she picked herself up, not noticing her journals had spilled out, and said, "Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk anymore." She ran to the couch and began to sob.

John sat on the bed and stared after her, speechless. He didn't believe in visions but this was clearly something she believed. Sighing he started to get up but his foot hit one of her journals. Picking it up he opened it to see what it was. As he began to read he realized that it was a journal. He started to close it when his eyes caught something. She was describing one of her visions. Feeling only slightly guilty for looking at it he continued to read. As he actually read what she wrote he sat back down on the bed hard. Swallowing hard he got chills down his back. This entry was about HIM. She was talking about something that she could not have seen!

He flipped through the journal and found more then ten entries about him and his life. These were things she couldn't possibly have known because he had never told ANYONE about them. "My God!" He murmured to himself. She really did have visions. What had she said? She had seen her own death? He jumped off the bed and walked to the living room quickly. When he got there he saw her sitting there staring into space with tears tracks on her face. "I believe you." He announced.

Shelly blinked and looked at him, noticing her journal in his hand. She was silent as he walked over to her and sat down next to her. "I saw it happen you know. I saw him." She said softly.

"You saw what happen?" John asked.

"Three years ago. I was at Chris's house when I had the dream. I cried for hours. I thought you were dead." She said to him tonelessly.

"What are you saying?" John asked getting a sick feeling in his stomach. She couldn't be saying what it sounded like she was. She couldn't have seen him and Caitlin...

"Three years ago I saw you and your fiancé get shot. I thought he killed you like he did her. But then I had another vision of you and I knew you had lived. But then I also knew she didn't and I was so sad. I wanted to help, to save her but I didn't know who to call." Shelly said listlessly, "He is still out there you know." Looking at him, her eyes dull and lifeless, "The guy who shot you, I mean."

John shook his head, "No we caught him. He is in prison."

Suddenly her eyes came alive again and she stared at him, "No he is still out there. I've seen him. Seen his victims."

Rex stood in front of the motel where Shelly had been. Shaking his head he smiled to himself. Somehow they had gotten away. He hadn't known that they had been found. No one had told him because they felt that his feelings for Shelly would cloud his judgment. If only they knew. Shelly was a more powerful weapon alive then she was dead. If they were to kill her like they wanted they had no leverage against him, or so they thought since they didn't know he was really here for Natalie. But if they kept her alive they would have all the leverage they needed to keep him in line.

He had told Shelly everything he knew about the hit on her but he didn't know at the time that John was as much of a target as Shelly herself was. While the Carpelli's would love if McBain would just disappear they weren't the ones gunning for him. There was something else going on, something that didn't make sense to him. He just couldn't put his finger on it but it seemed like the Carpelli's knew the score and was content to let things just happen, which was unlike them. Usually they wanted to be in control, to be the ones calling the shots.

Staring at the motel for another minute he decided to focus on finding Natalie now. Shelly had been warned and she could take care of herself. At least he hoped so since he was pretty sure he was in love with her. But Natalie was trapped somewhere and needed him to find her. He had to find his sister or else. No one had ever loved him like her and he wasn't about to let her down just when she needed him the most. Finally he turned away from the motel, got in his car and drove off. It was time to finish what he started.

Natalie was scared, more scared then she had ever been before. She knew her time here was almost up and they were going to kill her soon. She had heard them talking and it seemed whoever they had tried to extort ransom from was going to pay. They didn't plan for Natalie to make it home alive. Sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around herself she prayed to find the strength to get out of this alive.


	17. Chapter 17 NCS

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

**There is NCS (Rape) in this chapter. I hate writing this type of thing but it was necessary. I hopeI don't offend anyone. Also very bad language in this chapter.**

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Chapter 17

They stayed in the cabin for over a week and Shelly was going to go crazy. "I need to get out of here," she muttered to her self. She kept having this bad feeling, like there was something she should be doing and if she didn't do it soon something bad would happen. She didn't understand the feeling, it wasn't a vision of a dream it was just a gut feeling. But it was constant, like an undertow there but not obvious.

Throwing her clothing in the wash machine she threw in some soap and started it up. She cursed the fact that she had only thought to bring four outfits to wear. And one had been destroyed when she had been shot. It had been two weeks since then but it felt like two months. She and John got along and had fun, or as much fun as you could have when you were hiding out from assassins, dodging bullets and missiles. They had talked some after she had told John about the visions she had about the man that shot him. He still didn't understand how they had gotten the wrong mans but at least he had listened to her.

He had not once brought up the fact that she told him she had seen her own death though. It was like he just couldn't bring himself to accept it. As if by ignoring it he could just pretend it never happened. Shelly wished she could do that but since telling him about it she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. It was as if talking about it had brought it to life and it was a living, breathing thing for her. She kept having thoughts like..."Would it hurt? Or would it talk long? This depressed her and further put her in a terrible mood, a mood that she was now taking out on the washing machine.

John came into the laundry room to see Shelly wrenching on the knobs and banging on the buttons. He watched for a minute wishing he could find something to take out his frustration on. He was just as tired of being cooped up in this cabin as she was. Something else had been bothering her though. She wouldn't talk about it though. At first he thought it was from the car chase and everything but he could tell it went deeper then that. When he asked her what was wrong she just brushed him off and told him it was nothing. He was still looking over all the notes from the kidnapping case. It was taking so long because there was an entire box of papers on it. It was long and tedious work. He had come in looking for her because, yesterday, she had expressed an interest in helping him sort out and look through everything.

"You done abusing the washer?" He asked dryly, stifling his amusement.

Shelly spun around and clasped her chest, "Jesus John! You about gave me a heart attack!"

John couldn't help it he burst out laughing.

"What?" Shelly demanded, not amused, "What's so damn funny?"

"Nothing really." He gasped out, "Just seeing you attacking that defenseless machine I was glad it wasn't me," Still laughing. Finally sobering up he saw that she too had started to laugh. "I needed that. I feel better then I have in days," he said.

She reluctantly agreed, "Yeah me too. I guess we both haven't been much fun to be around lately. I just don't know how much longer I can stay cooped up like this. God, I wanna go out and see a move or eat something I didn't have to cook."

"Well if cooking bothers you I could do it more often." John told her.

"No that's ok," Shelly said quickly, remembering the last time he had tried to cook. He had practically burned down the kitchen when he caught a potholder on fire.

This time it was John who asked indignantly, "What?"

"Let's face it John, cooking isn't your thing." Shelly said starting to laugh. She laughed harder when John put his hands on his hips and glared at her. "Yeah John, you really cooked the hell out of that potholder." She said laughing, "Oh come on John! You almost burned the place down!" She said between giggles.

John threw up his hands and said, "Fine!" Sulking a bit more he finally asked, "So you still want to help with the files?"

Shelly's eyes went wide and she looked at him stunned, "Are you serious? I thought you were humoring me before."

"Well... Technically I'm not even supposed to be working this case so I don't see the harm in letting you sort through some files." John answered her.

"Thanks!" Running to him and hugging him tightly then running into the living room she began to scoop out files from the box.

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"Finally!" Natalie said as she clutched the cell phone she had just stolen from on of her jailers. It was about time being a pickpocket came in handy. She knew she didn't have much time she knew; they would miss the phone any minute. She had to call someone and she knew just who to call. She dialed a number and waited. It rang 3 times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" Rex asked cautiously.

"Rex! You got to help me." Natalie said in a loud whisper. She hated to call him and bring him into this but she knew that if anyone could find her it was him.

"Natty!" Rex said excitedly, "Where are you?"

"I don't know Rex. I have been in this room forever it seems like. They never let me go anywhere. You got to get me out of here!"

"I'm working on it. You're in a room. Does it have windows?" Rex asked trying to determine where she was.

"Yes, it has windows. They put bars on them cause I kept trying to escape." Natalie told him, happy to hear his voice. She had missed him so much, She hadn't realized how much till she heard his voice.

"Ok, tell me what you see out side." Rex said to her feeling sick at the fact that she had been barred in. What she had been through he couldn't imagine but he intended to get her out of it, he had to. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't, if his Natty didn't come home he didn't think he could survive it.

Natalie told him what she saw outside then heard the door handle turn. Whispering loudly she said, "Someone's coming. Hurry Rex!" Then hung up the phone and sticking it under the pillow on the bed hoping no one would find it.

"Hey!" The thug said from the doorway. "Who were you talking to? Sam said he is missing his phone did you take it?" He snarled at her and advanced into the room. Seeing her guilty look that flashed on her face before she masked it he backhanded her sending her flying to the floor. "Where is it?" When she didn't say anything he picked her back up by the back of her neck and threw her on the bed.

Natalie sat up and spit in his face. "I don't have your fuckin phone!" scrambling off the bed and on to the other side she looked around for something she could use as a weapon.

"You bitch!" yelled the thug. Charging her he knocked her onto the bed sending a drinking glass crashing to the floor. Rolling off the bed yet again she screamed as he caught her wrist and hauled her up against him. Holding her to him tightly he brought his mouth down and ground it on to hers. Kissing her roughly he forced her mouth open and stuck his tongue into her mouth.

Gagging on his foul breath and struggling to get away Natalie screamed, unprepared for his sudden assault. Freeing her hands she began to beat on his chest. Landing a blow to his head she screamed again when he lifted his head brought his hand back and slapped her, hard. Reeling form the blow Natalie again fell back on the bed. "No! Leave me alone!" she screamed at him.

The thug just laughed and took off his shirt quickly. "I've been wanting a piece of your sweet little ass for months. Its about time I had me a taste." Again grabbing her arm when she tried to get away he forced her back on to the bed and leaned over. Taking his free hand and tearing her shirt down the middle he smiled lustfully at her heaving breasts. Holding her wrists above her head he leaned down and began to lick and kiss her breasts. When she tried to knee him in the groin he avoided the blow and slapped her again. "I like my women feisty. Just makes me hotter.' He laughed evilly covering her mouth again and shoving his tongue inside.

Natalie twisted her head away from his disgusting mouth and again screamed, her head snapping back when he hit her again. "Shut up. Scream like that again and I'll kill you right now!" He raged at her. Groping down he shoved her pants down leaving her naked before him except for her torn shirt. "Please don't!" Natalie begged him clamping her legs shut and squirming away from him as far as she could. "I can't wait to fuck that sweet pussy of yours." He said as he took his free hand and began to touch her driving his fingers deep into her body. "You're so tight." He moaned as he violated her with his hands.

Reaching his head down he licked her neck and began to fondle her breasts roughly, leaving bruises. "Stop Please!" Natalie begged him as he continued to touch her.

"Stop? Baby I haven't even started yet," Reaching for his pants the thug unbuttoned them, one hand still holding Natalie's hands above her head. Struggling wildly underneath him managing to free one hand just as he got his pants off. Letting go of her hands he grabbed her thighs. Raking her nails over his face Natalie tried to gouge out his eyes.

Screaming in pain and in pleasure the thug began to rape her. Natalie screamed in pain. Clawing him again and again as he violated her. "Oh yeah baby keep fighting me!" He groaned out as he continued to take her by force.

Natalie continued to hit and bite him as he reached his release pulled out and came on the bed sheets. Natalie cried silently as he slapped her once more just for the heck of it and pulled out. "You're one hot piece of ass." He told her as he cleaned himself off. He held her down for a long time then pulled back a bit. Seeing her lying on the bed he thought about fucking her again and he began to harden. Holding her down he said, "We're going to go again sweetheart." Reaching down to stroke himself as he got more and more aroused thinking of fucking her again he got distracted giving Natalie enough time to shove him hard and scramble away.

Natalie scrambled off the bed trying desperately to get away. She had just been raped by this bastard there was no way in hell it would happen again, screaming in rage as he grabbed her leg as she dove off the bed. Seeing the broken glass on the floor she quickly grabbed a large piece as he pulled her back onto the bed.

"Oh no honey we aren't finished yet." He laughed at her. Pulling her roughly he didn't see the glass she had in her hand.

Natalie let out a scream of fear and rage and brought the piece of glass down. In a slashing motion she aimed for his dick separating it from his body. The thug screamed in pain as Natalie cut his penis clean off his body. Blood gushing out of him he jumped away from her but Natalie wasn't finished yet. Taking the piece of glass, holding it so tightly it cut into her palm, she began to slash at his neck. Finally hitting him she sliced his throat cutting deep into the tissue. More blood sprayed out and finally he dropped to the floor dead.

Natalie stood there breathing heavily covered in blood as the door swung open and people swarmed in. Dropping the piece of glass she crumpled to the floor and curled into a ball rocking back and forth.

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As Shelly experienced this vision she screamed out in her sleep, she kept screaming in terror until John came in and shook her violently. "Shelly wake up!" He shouted at her.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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Chapter 18

"No!" Shelly screamed again sitting straight up in bed. "No!" she said again then dissolved into tears. It had been a vision, a vision of Natalie, Rex's sister being raped. She still felt her terror, still heard Natalie's cries in her head. "God!" Shelly gasped out. "Have to help, have to get to her." She said hysterically.

"What is it?" John asked soothingly, trying to comfort her. "Shh... it was just a bad dream." He though maybe she was dreaming about the car chase.

"No! He... She... glass..." Shelly tried to get out through her terror and her tears. "There was so much blood." She got out before she started to shake. Trembling violently she relived the vision in her head. Her body jerking and letting out small moans of pain as her brain forced her to remember every detail of that horrible vision.

John was frightened he had never seen Shelly act like this before. She clung to him like he was the only stable thing in her world. Her slim body shaking violently as she relived some sort of traumatic experience in her head. Be it real or imaginary he couldn't be sure. He just held her as she shook trying to think of something to say that would help. Finally she stopped shaking and trembling and he pulled back and looked into her face. He was terrified by what he saw.

Her face was blank and her eyes were glazed over. It was as if she had retreated inside herself unable to deal with reality. He had seen this type of behavior before but only from victims of terrible and usually extremely violent events. "Shelly" He questioned softly then a bit more loudly, "Shelly!"

Still she didn't respond, she didn't hear him. She wasn't able to handle all this it was too much, to fast. Retreating from the world and hiding in her own private place Shelly hid from everything, not seeing, not hearing and most of all not feeling.

John didn't know what to do she had been sitting there for hours just staring into space not responding to anything. He was at a loss for what he should do so he called Michael and told him to get here right away. He knew he was taking a chance but he couldn't leave Shelly this way.

Michael was working at Llanview hospital when he got the call. Walking down the hall he spotted Bo Buchanan. Bo was here to visit Nora Buchanan, his wife, who had been in a coma for months now due to a brain aneurysm. Michael was confident she would wake eventually but what damage had been done by the aneurysm he couldn't even begin to guess.

"Hi Bo." He said as they passed in the halls.

"Hi Michael." Bo replied pausing before taking him aside asking, "Heard anything from your brother?" Bo was the police commissioner of Llanview and had been following the news of a FBI agent protecting a young girl from the Italian Mafia. When he had heard the name John McBain he had immediately put 2 and 2 together and surmised that it was Michael's brother. He admired a man that put his life on the line for a stranger. That was why he was a cop himself to help others. It was just too bad he was unable to help his niece. A niece he had never met because she had been kidnapped 23 years ago.

When the kidnappers had contacted Vicki Davidson, Natalie's mother, 6 months ago no one had believe that they actually had her. But then they sent a lock of hair with the roots still attached and they had done a DNA test. It had been a match. It had been another 4 months before anything else was heard form the kidnappers. Bo wondered why they had waited so long in between contacts. He also wondered if his niece was still alive or if she had been killed already. He didn't even know her full name just her first name, Natalie, but he knew if she really were dead he would morn the loss.

There was another reason he was interested in Michael's brother though. He had read up on John McBain and found out that he was one of the best agents in the FBI but was on thin ice because he didn't follow the rules. He hoped he could convince the man to help find his Natalie. It was obvious the kidnappers were just playing with them. Vicki had paid the ransom last week and the family had heard nothing from the kidnappers.

"No," Michael told him just as his beeper started to vibrate. Looking down at it he saw that it was an unknown number. That meant it could be John or Shelly. Knowing that they wouldn't call him unless it was an emergency he nodded to Bo saying, " Excuse me I have to take care of something."

He went to the nurse's desk and told them that he was taking his break before going to his car and quickly calling back then number. "Hello?" John answered and Michael knew that something terrible had happened. John sounded terrible, like he was terrified. "What's wrong? Is it Shelly?" Michael asked immediately.

"Yes." That one word had a wealth of meaning attached to it. "You need to come to the cabin that we used to go to with Dad." John choked out around the ball of fear that was blocking his throat.

"John, what's the matter with her. Has her wound opened up again? Has it become infected? I need to know what to bring with me." Michael said to John.

"I don't know Michael. She is alright...physically..." John said then trailed off.

"What does that mean?" Michael demanded but John just said, "Get here...fast." then disconnected.

Rex was sitting at a meeting between the Carpelli's and the Blaslovik's better known as the Russian Mafia. Listening to their conversation he secretly taped the entire exchange. He was planning to blackmail the Carpelli's or maybe make a deal with the Blaslovik's. Maybe they would help him if they thought the Carpelli's were gonna double cross them.

Three hours later Michael raced into the driveway of the cabin. Looking around he sucked in a sharp breath when he saw John's car sitting in the driveway with cardboard in the back window and bullet holes in the car. Wondering what the hell had happened (The FBI wouldn't tell him squat just that there had been a car chase and John had gotten away) he got out of the car.

Running to the front door he banged on it loudly. "John! It's Michael." He waited a full minute then banged again, "John, open the door!" Again he waited and as he was about to knock again John opened the door. Michael was shocked at his appearance.

His eyes shadowed and worried and face haggard John motioned Michael in. "I don't know what to do Mikey. I'm scared," He said without shame as he admitted he was scared.

"Where is she?" Michael asked looking around for Shelly. Not seeing her he glanced questioningly at John and noticed he was staring at the bedroom door to the far left of the room.

"In there," John nodded at the door. He opened his mouth to tell him about her condition but then stopped. What was there he could say that Michael wouldn't notice the minute he walked in the door? He asked himself. Walking to the door with Michael following her opened the door and looked in. Whispering to Michael he said, "She hasn't moved in hours."

Michael took one look at her and gasped. She was leaning against the headboard of the bed and her face was pale, expressionless and drawn. She was limp and lifeless except for the slow, shallow breaths she took. Michael had seen this before and asked John urgently, "What exactly happened to her?"

John took a deep breath, he knew he would have to tell Michael about her visions and he also know Michael probably wouldn't believe it. Heck it he hadn't read that journal HE wouldn't have believed it. "I think she saw or experienced something terrible." John said, trying to decide just how he should tell him. Finally he decided to just come out with it bluntly.

"When? How?" Michael needed to know, both for medical and personal reasons.

"In a vision." John said matter-of-factly in a tone that was completely serious.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

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**Chapter 19**

"A vision? Come on John that's impossible." Michael said rolling his eyes.

"Fine maybe she had a terrible dream." John said not pushing the issue, "Whatever. Right now we just need to make her better."

Michael nodded and began to look her over. He was worried when she didn't even seem to notice that he was touching her. Her eyes were dull and blank, no hint of recognition in them. He looked back to John after a minute and said, "She has slipped into a dissociative state. We need to get someone out here that she trusts, someone close to her that she will respond to. Preferably someone she has know her entire life."

"She trusts me," John said. "How come she doesn't respond to me?"

"Because in her mind we might be part of what she is hiding from. She has suffered a serious mental trauma, John. She needs someone familiar and safe to come back to." Michael told him worriedly. He had seen people stay in these vegetative states for a long time, years even, and he knew the sooner she snapped out of it the better.

John nodded his understanding and thought about who he could call. He couldn't call the Falks the Carpelli's would be watching them. Suddenly it hit him. Christina, Shelly's best friend, she loved Shelly and wouldn't tell a soul where they were. If anyone could pull Shelly out if this it would be her, it would have to be her because there was no one else.

He took out his phone then decided against using his, better safe then sorry. He looked at Michael and said, " I need your phone." When Michael handed it to him he hit 67 (to block the caller ID) then dialed the operator and asked her to dial Christina's number.

After 4 rings someone picked up sounding out of breath. "Hello?" and John grinned. He recognized her voice it was Christina. "Hello Christina?" he asked just to be sure.

"Yes, Who is this?" she demanded, worried that maybe this was someone looking for Shelly. She didn't know where her friend was but she wouldn't do anything to help anyone find her even if she did know where Shelly was.

"Christina, this is John McBain. We met before a couple of weeks ago." John said.

"John? What's wrong? Why are you calling me? Is it Shelly?" She asked fearfully.

"Can you meet me somewhere?" He asked cryptically.

She understood his unspoken message. Shelly was in trouble and needed her. "Ok. Where?" She asked immediately. Mentally calculating what she would need to bring and how she would leave with out being seen. After getting directions she began to pack for a long trip. School was out in a couple of weeks and she didn't need to be at the graduation to actually get her diploma.

Worried about her friend she remembered the first day they met. Shelly had been 6 and Christina 8. Shelly had been sad because she had been skipped a head a grade and all her friends weren't in her grade anymore. Christina had not entered school till she was 6 because her parents moved around a lot and didn't enter her in school till later. Even with the 2 year age limit they had become best friends then and had been friends ever since. Even now she had trouble remembering that Shelly was 2 years younger then her because her friend exuded a maturity that belied her 16 years. She had a certain presence about her that made people believe she was much older.

John told her where and hung up, wanting to keep the conversation as brief as possible. He looked again at Shelly again then at Michael knowing he needed to explain about the visions now. He now knew that there was nothing he or Michael could do for her right now so now was the time before Christina got here. He didn't know if Shelly had told her about the visions and if she hadn't he didn't want to be the one to do it. The only reason he was about to do so with Michael was because it might be important medically. He wasn't even sure that it had been a vision that caused this but if it had been he felt that Michael needed to know.

Picking up Shelly's journal he motioned for Michael to follow him out of the room so they could talk. Once they were seated he handed the journal to Michael and told him to turn to a certain page. Michael began to read and he grew pale. Looking up at John his mouth worked and he finally said, "How could she possibly know this? Did you tell anyone?"

John shook his head no, "I never told anyone one Michael. Not even you. She had that vision when she was 12. There was no way she could have found out. There are at least 10 other entries about me." John paused and then said, " There is more Michael."

Michael was in shock, struggling to believe this but there was simply no other explanation for this knowledge Shelly had. She couldn't possible have known that John had once almost killed a child molester; this was something that he himself hadn't know until just now. And now John said there was more? What more could there be? "What?" he asked hoarsely still reeling.

"A week ago Shelly had a vision right in front of me. She saved both our lives that day. She saw that BMW and got us out of that motel room before they could blow it up with us in it. And there is also the time when she was sick and she knew that we were her brothers. She knew Michael, she knew." John told Michael then said more softly, She told me she has seen her own death but she won't discuss that vision with me. It's almost as if she is trying to protect me or something."

John fell silent after that last statement and neither spoke for a long time. Both absorbed in their own thoughts and concerns about their newly found but dearly loved sister. John knew that he couldn't love Shelly more if they had grown up together, she just had this way about her that drew people to her, made them care and to see her like she was in the other room... it just tore his heart out.

"So we really believe that Shelly has visions of the future?" Michael asked as if needing confirmation.

"There isn't any other explanation that makes sense Mike. There isn't any other way she could have know about me, us, those guys in the BMW." John said feeling strange to be talking seriously about visions. "I guess this is what she meant about seeing awful things."

"What?"

"A couple days after I first met her Shelly told me that she had seen terrible things, probably more then me. After reading those journals I finally understand what she meant." John explained to Michael.

"Journals? There are more?" He asked.

"Yeah. Several."

Michael was about to ask another question when someone knocked on the door. John took out his gun and put a finger to his lips. Walking slowly to the door he first looked out the little window on the side. It was Christina. He was stunned he had thought they would be waiting for her for at least several hours. He wondered how she had gotten here so fast. Opening the door slightly he looked at her more carefully trying to determine if she was alone. He was pretty sure that he could trust her but you never knew.

Not seeing anyone else he motioned her inside noticing that she was carrying two large duffle bags. "What's all this?" He asked her.

Chris smiled at him sweetly, "What? Did you think I was just going to come up here help Shelly and leave? Hell no. Shelly is my best friend and I'm staying until its safe for her to come home."

Michael looked over this girl. She was tallish and had beautiful red/blond hair. Her thin frame was curvy but not too much so. Her face was pretty but when she smiled she was gorgeous. "Hello," he said holding out his hand.

Chris's eyes swung to him and she was immediately suspicious, "Who is he?" she asked John cautiously.

"Christina this is my brother Michael McBain, Michael this is Christina Davis." John made the introductions.

Her suspicions gone Shelly shook Michaels hand, "Chris, please. You're John's brother? That means your also Shelly's brother too?" She asked though it was more of a statement then a question.

Michael nodded looking at her and enjoying the intelligence and humor he saw in her eyes. There was something about her... "So where is Shelly?" Chris asked snapping Michael out of his thoughts.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**Chapter 20**

Chris entered the room expecting to see Shelly sick or sad or something. What she found was a Shelly she didn't even recognize. Turning on John and Michael like a lioness protecting her cubs she hissed at them, "What the hell did you do to her?" Running the rest of the way to Shelly Chris gently cupped Shelly's face and looked straight into her lackluster eyes. "Shelly!" she demanded of her friend.

John moved closer to Shelly and Chris wanting to help. He was stunned when Christina jumped up and took a swing at him, jumping back quickly avoiding the blow, he put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "I just want to help." He said.

"Help?" Chris hissed at him, "Haven't you helped enough! Look at her she's practically catatonic! Just what the hell happened to her? What did you do?" Taking Shelly's hand she held it in her own hoping to get some reaction out of Shelly. Seeing her like this, so lifeless, it was almost as if she were dead! Sucking in a deep breath she continued to attack John and Michael, "She trusted you! Shelly would have done anything for her family and look at her! Look what you did to her!"

Michael had had enough of this, Shelly was his sister and he might not know her very well or at all even but he would never hurt her! "Stop it right now! One Shelly is our sister and we would never do anything to harm her...In any way! And two neither John nor I did anything to Shelly! She had a bad dream and woke up screaming. She said a few things then went into this state. And for the record I'm a doctor and I know what I'm doing. That's why we called you." Michael stated forcefully, but not mentioning the visions. He didn't know if Shelly had told Christina about them and he didn't want to be the one who did it.

"She had a dream?" Christina immediately asked, calming down slightly. Looking at John and Michael sharply she asked slowly, cautiously, "You said she said something? What did she say?" Hoping that it hadn't been a vision. Shelly had told her about some of them and they were terrible for her. But to have one send her into a state like this meant that if it was a vision she had it was beyond anything she had ever experienced before.

It was John who spoke this time. Carefully watching Christina's face he said flatly, " She said and I quote 'NO, He, She and there was so much blood'." Deliberately sounding unaffected he watched her reaction hoping to tell whether she knew about the visions. When she paled and glanced quickly at Shelly and then back at Michael and finally him John had his answer. She knew; he was certain that she knew about the visions.

Michael also paled as he heard this. It was worse then he had thought. Just those few words indicated something so horrible that she had been unable to deal with it and had retreated into a safe place, inside her own head. He looked between John and Chris and saw something he didn't understand. It was as if there was an understanding between them. Shaking his head to clear that notion he looked at Chris again and said, "We need you to talk to her. See if you can get through to her. Physically there isn't anything wrong with her. She is in this state because she can't deal with something, if she had some one she trusts and loves maybe she will come back to us."

Shelly ignored him for the moment and kept staring at John. "Has she been having headaches or nightmares often? Has she been acting strange or withdrawn?" She needed to know how many visions she had gotten in the past 2 weeks. It was rare for her to have more then 1 a month but if she had been dreaming often then something had changed with her ability or with Shelly herself.

"She has had 2 or 3 visions in the last couple of weeks." John told her not beating around the bush any longer now that he was certain Christina knew about the visions. "The first was the night we found her and I think she had another when I stopped a robbery."

"John!" Michael hushed. 'What are you...?"

"Mikey, she already knows about them." John said back.

Nodding at that Chris looked again at John, "You said you think? You're not sure?"

"Well, I was in the shower and Shelly just kinda cried out in pain and when I came out she was holding her head and crying. Then she looked at me and told me she saw someone out side and that it might have been the motel manager. I went to go check it out and there was a robbery attempt." John explained.

"During the day? She was awake when it came?" Chris asked stunned.

"Yeah, Why?" John asked.

"Because she has never had one while she has been awake before." Chris said simply, not knowing what this meant. "Look I need to be alone with her. I don't want to offend you but can you leave?"

John looked at Michael who nodded. After they left Chris sat on the bed directly in front of Shelly and took both her hands. "Shelly. It's me, Chris. Come on girl you got to come back to me. I need you Shel. You're my best friend. Theses last few weeks have been hell with out you." Chris said starting to cry a bit. "When I heard about that car chase I thought I had lost you. I didn't think I could hurt more. But then I heard you were ok and my world was ok again. So you have to be ok Shelly. You have to be!

Out in the living room John looked at Michael and asked the question that had been on his tongue for hours. "What if this doesn't work?"

"I don't know John, I don't know." Michael said sadly. He was a general doctor not a psychologist and if thins didn't work he knew that they would have to consult someone else.

They both sat down on the couch and waited.

Chris continued to talk to Shelly for hours. She talked about their childhood and their family and finally she began to talk about their boyfriends. Chris had just said something about Herbie when Shelly said one word.

"Rex."

"What? Shelly? What did you say?" Chris asked excitedly, happy that her friend was back with them.

"His name. Herbie's real name is Rex." Shelly said again blinking. Her head pounding and feeling sick to her stomach she looked around. She remembered the vision and she began to cry. The image of Natalie being raped fresh in her mind. This dream had been different too. It had been as if the events were happening to her. She had seen what Natalie had seen. She had felt the pain and terror that Natalie had felt, the humiliation and the anger. When Natalie had been raped it had felt as if she herself had been the one violated.

Cris simply pulled Shelly into her arms and stroked her hair in a comforting gesture. "Its ok. What ever it is it will be ok." Murmuring comforting words into Shelly's hair Chris was silently horrified. Whatever had happened it had almost broken Shelly, Shelly, the strongest person she knew.

Shelly cried for a few minutes then pushed away filled with determination. It would be ok; it would be ok because she would make it that way. Knowing she needed to tell John about the vision she started to speak. Then pausing as if confused she asked, "What are you doing here Chris?"

"They called me."

"They? They who?" Shelly wanted to know.

"Your brothers."

"Michael is here too?" Knowing that if David or Jerry were here they wouldn't have been able to not be in the room right now. They tended to be a bit inpatient.

"Yes." Chris said wistfully.

Shelly looked at Chris and seeing her expression said, "He is a hottie isn't he?"

Chris blushed and looked away. Changing the subject she said, "So do you want to talk about it?"

Shelly was the one to look down this time, "Yeah, maybe you better get John and Michael too. They need to hear this and they need to hear what I plan to do about it."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

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Chapter 21

After all the hugs and relief John got down to business. Asking about the vision he sat down on the bed next to Shelly. Michael and Chris also sat down on the bed and waited. Shelly began to speak, telling them what she had seen and felt. John had grown pale and angry as she continued to speak. Michael felt sick to his stomach and Chris was shocked at what her friend was saying. It seemed her gift was growing, changing and she wasn't sure that Shelly could handle it. Taking Shelly's hand in her own as Shelly continued to speak she squeezed gently to convey her support and lend strength.

When she was finished Shelly felt drained and exhausted but she knew there was more that she needed to do. She asked Chris to get her sketchpad and to come back in. When Natalie had looked out that window it had been as if Shelly herself was looking out the window too and she had seen a lot. So when Chris came back in with her pad and pencil she began to describe what she had seen. Together the two girls came up with a drawing of what Shelly had seen. Now if someone recognized the area they would know where Natalie was. Which brought up Shelly's plan.

"No! Absolutely not!" John said firmly, heatedly. "There is no way we are going to do that!"

"But John..." Shelly started only to be cut off by John again.

"I said No! I mean it Shelly. There is no way that is going to happen!" John said frustrated. Shelly wanted too much this time. This plan was sheer madness. There was no way he was letting his sister throw her self to the lions to help a stranger. No way!

"John..." Michael said, "It might be out only chance to save the girl." Looking at John Michael could see him struggling to hold his emotions in check. He knew this was difficult for John but this might be the only way to save the girl Shelly had seen brutally raped. Michael didn't like it any more then John did but Shelly said they could trust him and he believed her. It was also obvious that Shelly was in love with the guy even if she didn't admit it to her self. The thing that was bothering Michael was the fact that just an hour ago Shelly was disconnected, disassociating the entire world and now she want to do this? He was afraid it would prove to be too much for her and she would simply shut down again.

"I don't care!" John shouted at them. He was not going to let his little sister call the man that put a hit out on her! He didn't care how much she begged and pleaded him. The simple fact was Herbie or Rex or what ever the hell his name was killed a man and there was no way that he was getting near Shelly!

"You do care!" Shelly shouted back at him. "You're just scared. I'm not going to break down again. I have to do this John! Damn it! I was given the vision for a reason. If Rex can see the drawing then maybe he can tell us where it is and we can save Natalie!"

"Natalie?" John asked.

"The girl from my vision, her name is Natalie." Shelly told him using Natalie's name for the first time. She had yet to tell them Rex's last name or that Natalie was his sister. She wasn't sure that was something Rex would want spread around just incase it caused Natalie any harm.

Michael was stunned, what were the odds that there was another woman named Natalie kidnapped by the mafia? Pretty slim was his guess. He needed to tell Bo. He thought a minute on that and decided that this was something he needed to do in person so the Buchanan's could decide what to do. They had resources and means that they simply didn't have right here, and Bo or someone else might recognize the place in the drawing. Taking the drawing he left the room silently, unnoticed by John and Shelly who were still yelling back and forth. Christina saw him and followed secretly amused that her friend had found someone just as stubborn as she was.

"What are you doing?" She asked Michael when he started the computer, opened the scanner then placed the drawing on it to be scanned.

I think I may know who Natalie is, her family. I need to copy this and take it to them. Maybe they know where it is. They have the resources to find her and fast." Michael told her admiring her calmness. He couldn't believe she was so calm with so much going on. "How do you do it?" He asked with out realizing it.

"What?" Christina asked confused.

"How do you stay so calm? Shelly was just practically in a coma a little while ago and wants to put herself in the direct path of danger and you're cool as a cucumber."

"By remembering who Shelly is and what she has been through. Shelly is the smartest and most insightful person I know. If she says she can trust Rex then I believe her. I know Herbie, I mean Rex, and he loves her. I can tell. He might be lying about everything else but he isn't lying about that. I can see it in his eyes hear it in his voice. It was the mention of him that brought Shelly out of, you know." Chris informed him.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked, reassured at the certainty in Chris's voice. This woman was amazing! He liked her more and more every minute he was with her. He loved her loyalty and her absolute trust in her friend. If he had friends like this he would be a very lucky man. With that thought he resolved to get to know her better, wanting to know every thing there was to know about Christina Davis.

"When I started talking about Rex," Chris said trying to remember to say Rex instead of Herbie, "She corrected me. That's when she came out of it."

Michael was about to reply when he heard, "Jesus John! You're being an uptight stick in the mud asshole!" He couldn't help it he had to see this and went back to the bedroom. When he looked in he saw Shelly standing almost nose-to-nose with John glaring at him looking ready to either deck him or scream in frustration. John looked ready to ring her neck and slightly offended by her insult.

"I know him John! He didn't do it. It was someone else." Shelly yelled at him so annoyed at him that she was ready to smack him.

"Yeah well you knew your parents and it turns out that they lied to you your whole life." John yelled back at her, angrier then he could ever remember being. He immediately felt terrible for his remark when he saw the hurt flash across her face. "I'm sor..." He started to say but suddenly he was laying on the floor his jaw throbbing painfully staring up at Shelly in disbelief. She had laid him out! And with one punch at that!

Shelly was pissed, her hand aching from the right hook she had just thrown at John she looked down at him and asked snidely, "Yeah, well how well do any of us know our parents. You didn't know that yours were lying to you your whole life either so how good does that make you?"

"That's enough!" Chris said stepping in. "This obviously isn't gonna get solved right away. It's late and there is nothing we can do now. Why don't we table this and pick it up again in the morning? Huh?" Going over to Shelly she took her friends arm and pulled her away saying in a low voice, "This isn't accomplishing anything. You get more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Shelly smiled at Chris's message, understanding what she was telling her. "Fine, but I'm not gonna change my mind." She said loud enough for John to hear as he got up off the floor rubbing his jaw.

They all went to bed, Shelly and Chris in Shelly's room and John and Michael in John's room. John fumed for a couple of hours before the need for sleep over took him and he finally gave in and went to sleep.

Shelly and Chris talked for a while about her plan and finally when the felt enough time had passed Shelly took the drawing, some clothes, money, and Michael's car keys along with Chris's cell phone and quietly slipped out of the cabin. At the car she hugged Chris and thanked her for her help. Getting in she started the car, thanking god it was a quiet car, and then drove off to find Rex. Using Chris's cell she called him and asked him to meet her.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.

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**

**Chapter 22**

Rex got Shelly's call and was excited to see her again but worried and confused. For her to be calling him and asking to meet him was taking a huge risk. If she were found before he could find out who put the hit out on her or before he found Natalie it would be a disaster! He wanted to find his sister and then maybe he and Shelly had a chance, a chance to be something special.

Checking to make sure he wasn't being followed Rex pulled into the parking lot of the little motel Shelly had asked hem to meet her at. He looked around but didn't see her so he went in the building and to the front desk. When the lady at the desk asked if he were Rex he nodded slightly and was handed a piece of paper. It read

_Room 212._

That was it. Curious as to what she was doing here Rex went up the stairs 2 at a time and soon found himself in front of room 212. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door lightly and waited.

Shelly heard the knock and padded to the door quietly. She was pretty certain it was Rex but she wasn't gonna take any chances. Gripping her gun tightly, she had needed to steal it back from John before she left because he had confiscated it saying it was illegal for her to own one, she slowly cracked the door open a bit to peer outside. It was Rex, she sighed in relief and opened the door wider to let him in.

Rex stepped into the room quickly his eyes drawn to Shelly's barely covered breasts. She was wearing tight shorts and an equally tight tank top and he couldn't help but stare. He knew she probably didn't even realize how those clothes would effect him, not that he was gonna complain. Clearing his throat he said in a low voice, "Hey."

"Hey," Shelly said back grinning at the silliness of this. Noticing him staring at her chest she blushed and cleared her own throat. "Ummmm..." She said a bit flustered. Grabbing her robe and sliding it on she sat down and motioned for Rex to do the same. She decided to get right down to business and started to tell him about her visions, hoping he would believe her when it came time to show him the drawing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Natalie stood next to the far wall with her ear pressed tightly to the surface. She could hear Walter talking to someone else about someone named Michelle Falk and John McBain. Something about a kidnapping and a unsolved case. Cursing because she couldn't hear more clearly she strained to hear what else they were saying.

Holding her breath she heard a mention of her own name. But they were talking about someone called Vicki Davidson too. Wondering what exactly was going on she listened even more closely. Finally just when she was about to give up she heard something, something that made her gasp and stumble back from the wall in shock.

"Oh god no," Natalie mumbled to herself. It couldn't be! Roxy dead? Why would they kill her? They had her already why did they need to kill Roxy? Maybe this was Walter's way to get back at Roxy for being unfaithful. Feeling a wetness on her cheeks She brought a hand to her face and swiped. Seeing the wetness on her hand she realized she was crying. She didn't know why she should care. Roxy had been horrible to her, had treated her like dirt and hated the very sight of her but for some reason Natalie felt extremely sad and very alone.

Sobbing she went to the bed, laid down and cried. Completely breaking down for the first time since she had been taken. If Roxy was dead could Rex be far behind? She wondered through her wrenching sobs.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

John woke up around 5 am and stretched. Yawning he suddenly winced as the action reminded him that his jaw was sore. Shaking his head ruefully he let out a small grin. Shelly sure was a firecracker. He still couldn't believe she had punched him, and not only that but she had actually knocked him to the ground!

Getting up he automatically went to the window to look out. He noticed Chris's car was gone and wondered why she had left. Worried that maybe she had gone to rat out their location he rushed into Shelly's room to tell her to get up so they could leave. Looking around he noticed that no one was in the room and he feared that maybe Chris had kidnapped Shelly.

"Shelly?" John called out in a loud voice turning around in relief when he heard the bathroom door open up. His face darkened when he saw Chris walk out in her blue jeans and sweat shirt. "Where is Shelly?" he demanded.

"She left last night to talk to Rex." Chris said calmly in the face of Johns overwhelming anger.

"What?" John shouted. Getting right into Chris's face he kept yelling, "Who the hell do you think you are? My sister is going to meet that killer!

"Look John Shelly has been my friend for a long time. Longer then you have known her and I trust her judgment. You should too, knowing what you do about her. If she says Rex is a good guy then I believe her." Chris said placidly. She meant every word too. She trusted her friend more then she trusted anyone else and if she believed in Rex then Chris believed her. It had been so hard to see Shelly torn up about not seeing who Herbie/Rex really was when Shelly had thought he was a murderer but things were different now and Chris was happy about it.

John stared at Chris in disbelief. Did nothing rattle this girl? His anger alone in the past had been enough to send his co-workers cowering but Chris hadn't even blinked! It was kind of hard to hold on to his anger in the face of such composure. "Shelly is only 16. She hasn't lived long enough to be putting her life on the line like this!" John said finally trying to make her see that this was stupid and dangerous.

Chris snorted to her self and look at John, "Shelly may be only 16 but she has seen more then most people do in a life time. She knows people; she can see what we don't in others. Tell me you haven't noticed that."

At this point Michael came in to the room wondering what all the shouting was about. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily. Looking around he noticed that Shelly wasn't in the room, "Where is Shelly?"

John looked at Michael then at Chris and said snidely, "This brainiac helped her sneak out last night. She is with Rex right now doing god knows what."

"Good," Michael said simply at the same time Chris said, "Doing god knows what? That's what you're worried about? That's pathetic!"

"What!" John said, "You actually think that this is a good thing?" He looked at Michael in disbelief then shook his head. Of course Michael thought it was a good idea. He had been for the plan to begin with He thought to himself. Spinning on his heel and stomping to the living room he picked up his cell phone and made a call. He talked a minute while Michael and Chris followed him into the living room then hung up the phone. "I'll know where she is in a few minutes," he stated to no one in particular. Chris and Michael exchanged looks, both clearly thinking that John was overreacting. "What?" John asked defensively.

Michael was the one who answered, " Come on, don't you think you are overreacting a bit. Rex could have killed Shelly back at the motel but he didn't. I really think that he is telling the truth."

John didn't think he was overreacting at all but said, "Maybe I am but these guys already shot her once and for gods sake they tried to blow us up!" He finished more heatedly, "This is Shelly's life and I. Will. Not. Let. Her. Die. Too." He said biting off his words. "Not if I can help it."

Michael was going to reply but was interrupted by John's cell phone. John answered said a few word thanks the other person and then hung up. Looking at Michael he said, "Found her, oddly enough she went to Llanview."

"What?" Michael asked stunned. What were that chances of that? He wondered. "Where in Llanview?" He asked worriedly. There were places there that were heavily connected to the mob, or so he suspected.

"She is at the Angel Square Hotel. You know of it?" John asked.

"Yeah. It's fairly safe. Now what?" Michael asked him.

"Now I go and bring her back here."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

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**Chapter 23**

Two hours later John stood in front of Shelly's room at the Angel Square Hotel. He was trying to decide whether to knock or pick the lock. It was still early yet and the person at the desk had said that Rex was still here along with Shelly. He knew how he felt about that. He didn't like it one bit. But it was also a good sign that Shelly wasn't dead. If this Rex had killed her he wouldn't have stuck around all night.

Deciding the best way to handle the situation was to knock and get it over with he raised his hand and knocked on the door. He waited but no one answered so he knocked again, a bit louder this time. Still no answer. He was beginning to worry so he took out his lock picking tools and picked the lock. Opening the door carefully he stepped in his gun drawn. Looking around he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. Turning fully to the sight his eyes widened in anger, "What the hell is going on here?" He demanded in a loud angry voice, pointing his gun.

He had found Shelly all right! She was in bed with Rex! She was hardly wearing any clothing and what she did have on was riding up. Her back was to Rex's chest and he had his arms around her slightly under Shelly's shirt. It was obvious what they had been doing!

Rex was the first to wake. Looking around he noticed 2 things simultaneously first was that Shelly's brother John was in the room looking angry enough to shoot him dead with the gun he was pointing at him and second was that sometime in the night she and shelly had shifted on the bed so that he was holding her with his hand on her stomach, her shirt riding up. It looked bad he had to admit jerking his hand away from Shelly and shifting away from her on the bed. "Uhhh... this isn't..." Rex began as Shelly woke up and looked around.

"What it looks like?" John said finishing Rex's sentence. "Yeah right! I ought to shoot you right there for taking advantage of my sister!" Seeing that Shelly was awake he said, "Get out of that bed Michelle. What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

Shelly, unaware of how they had been sleeping, was confused. "What are you talking about? Did you really think I was just going to let something horrible happen and not do anything about it?" Mistaking his anger for anger about how she had snuck off in the middle of the night.

"That's not what I mean and you know it but we will talk about that colossally stupid move in just a minute! Right after I deal with this bastard."

Sitting up on the bed Rex threw his legs over the side and said, "Hey! That's not nice!" He smirked a bit thinking that this was just a little bit funny. Out of all the things he had expected this morning being held at gunpoint by a woman's brother that he had been in bed with was not it! And they hadn't even done anything, not that he hadn't want to but now was definitely not the right place and time for that. Standing up he said, "Look man I know what it looked like but we really didn't do anything."

John wasn't listening at this point. When Rex stood up he just lunged at him, not thinking just doing. Both men went down on the floor and began to roll around as John tried to punch the younger man. Rex avoided the blows and tried to fend John off him.

"Stop it!" Shelly yelled at them. Reaching down and yanking on John's shoulder she tried to pull him off Rex. "What is wrong with you? Nothing happened! We were talking and we fell asleep!" Shelly shouted at him, livid at John's caveman behavior. "John, you hurt him and I will never forgive you!" Shelly shouted at him.

John heard those words and suddenly pushed away from Rex. "Fine." He said glaring at Rex breathing heavily. Standing up he walked over to Shelly and sat down next to her on the bed like nothing had happened. "Now what exactly were you talking about?"

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Natalie pretended to be asleep as the door to her cell, that's what she had come the think of the room, opened. Deeply depressed over the knowledge that Roxy was dead she didn't even turn over to look and see who was coming in, she didn't really care.

Walter Balsom looked at Natalie, his adopted daughter, and smirked. There was so much she didn't know that she thought she knew. He kinda felt sorry for her but not enough to let her go. She had seen his face and heard too much. The boss wanted to kill her right away but Walter had other plans for her.

"What do you want now?" Natalie demanded with out turning around. It didn't matter who it was. They always wanted something. Information, a piece of hair, someone to gloat to; it was always something. "Or are you finally going to tell me why I have been kidnapped in the first place?"

"Well, well, well my dear I am going to do exactly that." Walter told her smugly.

Natalie turned over at those words knowing who the voice belonged to. It was Walter and apparently he wanted to talk. Well she would talk to him if that was what he wanted. The more smug he was the more he might let slip. "Why Are you going to kill me after you tell me?"

"Oh no my dear, you don't understand. I am not going to kill you. I just want to have a friendly chat with my former daughter." Walter said testing her mood. If this plan of his was going to work he had to play this right.

Narrowing her eyes Natalie realized that he was up to something. She might be dirt poor but she had grown up on the streets of Atlantic City and could spot a con when she saw one. She decided to play along; find out what the con was before the opportunity passed. Maybe this was something she could use to get out of this hellhole.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Where are Michael and Chris?" Shelly wanted to know.

"In Llanview checking out a lead on this Natalie." John told her. "If you are going to risk your life for this person I figured we might as well help you so you don't get your self killed."

"Oh how nice of you." Shelly said sarcastically then immediately felt bad for her remark. "Sorry," she muttered.

Ignoring her comment John looked at her curiously, "What made you pick Llanview anyway? This is the last place you should be. This place is riddled with Mafia people. You're lucky it was me that found you and not them."

"I heard Michael talking about what a nice place it was when he patched me up." She explained worried now that John had said it had a lot of Mafia guys in residence. Looking at Rex she asked, "Is that true? Are there a lot of bad guys here?"

Rex nodded in agreement with John, "Yes but they never hang out here in this hotel. It's too close to the police station. It is a good thing we are in Llanview anyway." He said intensely. This was right where they needed to be.

"Why?" Both John and Shelly asked. Shelly knew he had recognized the location in the drawing, it was some place called Lions Heart, but he hadn't mentioned its exact location.

"Because my sister is here, in this town." He answered them quietly. He knew where she was but he had no idea how to get her out. Lions Heart was a mansion deep in the woods of Llanview but it was heavily guarded. That was where the Carpelli's did the bulk of their illegal business, and he wasn't high up enough in the family to have access to it.

At first he hadn't believed Shelly about her visions but when she had shown him that picture he had to believe her. There wasn't any other possible explanation for how she could have seen that place. It was one of the best-kept secrets in the family and they didn't allow pictures to be taken...ever. It was scary and kinda cool that she could see the future but this vision she had of his sister, what she would tell him of it anyway, scared him more then anything. She might not have gave him all the details, in fact he was sure she purposely left out a lot, but what she told him was enough for him to know that if they didn't find Natalie soon she would end up dead.

"She is here? In Llanview?" John asked surprised. That would make things easier then. "First you need to tell me everything you know about where she is being held and second we need a plan to get her out."

"Really?" Shelly squealed happily. If John helped that would make this so much easier. She had a plan but it would be a much better plan with him involved.

John sighed hoping that this decision wouldn't get anyone killed but he had to help. This was his job and for some reason he felt that this might be the most important thing he would ever do in his life.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

**Also sorry for the long delay in updates. I have been on vacation. **

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**Chapter 24 **

She had to do this; it was the most important thing she ever had to do. These people meant business and she knew that she wasn't meant to come out of this alive. She still didn't understand why she was being used as a pawn in this game of revenge. By listening and pretending to be asleep she had found out more of what was going on but it still wasn't nearly enough. She needed to know who all the players were and what their rolls were. If she was going to protect Rex she had to stay alive at all costs.

"Come on Natalie," Natalie muttered to herself, "you can do this." She was standing on the rickety dresser and trying to pry off an air vent in the hopes that she could shimmy though and escape. He guards already made their morning check on her and she had till after noon to get the rusted grate off the wall and climb through. That is unless Walter or one of his cronies didn't drop by for an unexpected visit.

She was still confused by his behavior. His actions didn't make sense. Why go to all the trouble to fake his death and get in with the mob but then reveal himself to her? Why tell her that he wasn't her father then act like he was doing her some sort of favor by kidnapping her? He was planning something, something that even the Mafia wasn't aware off and was going to use her to somehow further his plans. She was sure of it. Now if only she could figure out what it was maybe she could use that to stay alive.

Giving the grated one last pull and shoving the handle of a hairbrush between the wall and the lip of the grate it came off with a low pop. She held her breath and waited to see if anyone heard the noise. After a minute she heard nothing and hoisted her self up into the vent.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I still don't like it one bit," John grumbled as he and Shelly snuck around the house and hid in the tall bushes designed for privacy. This was the best plan they could come up with and he didn't like it one bit. It involved Shelly too much. Hell even Mikey was involved in it!

"Shhhh...!" Shelly hissed at him. "Besides its all we got and you know it!" Shelly didn't really like this any better then John did but she knew that it was the only way. She and Rex played the biggest rolls but John's part would make or break this plan. She just hoped he would be able to hold his temper long enough once he found out the rest of the plan. The part that she and Rex worked out alone and didn't mention. One because she knew John wouldn't go for it and two because she knew the chances of either she and Rex getting caught were high. Shaking her head she smiled ruefully, Rex had been against her plan too. But he knew if he didn't help her she would do it anyway and probably get killed. John and Rex had more in common then either of them knew.

John spoke into his watch, which had a microphone in it, "Ok Michael. You're up." And then sat back and waited for their cue. He watched as Michael and Christina stumbled drunkenly up the walkway, their hands all over each other. Pretending to be drunk and out for a good time. As they stumbled and giggled up the walkway John saw 3 guards start to rush around and then they met Michael at the door. John held his breath anxiously, praying all went right.

Taking out the picture of Natalie Rex had given him that morning John looked at it quickly. He felt a strange attachment to the beautiful woman looking back at him. She couldn't have been more then 20 or 22 in this picture but she had this look in her eyes, kind of sad, haunted even and it just called to him. When Rex had slapped that picture down in front of him this morning he had immediately felt something for her and he knew now more then ever that he was doing the right thing. Natalie was important to him and though he didn't exactly know why he was going to do anything he could to save her.

He took a finger and ran it across the face smiling back at him. His heart sped up slightly and he felt somehow changed every time he looked at her. Shaking himself out of his thoughts he looked back up and put away the picture. Concentrating on Michael and Chris he waited for the signal that the guards were occupied.

Shelly watched her brother and her best friend risking their lives and she began to feel scared. She was scared that she got them into something that could kill them. If they failed and didn't rescue Natalie, if John or Michael or Chris was killed she would never forgive herself.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rex crouched in the bushes 100 feet away from the mansion watching John and Shelly as well as Michael and Chris. He was waiting for his cue from John to do his part of the plan. He hadn't wanted Shelly involved in this but she wouldn't take no for an answer. John couldn't persuade her and neither could Michael or Chris and definitely not him so this was it.

But while he wasn't happy that others were involved in this mess he knew that Natalie had to be his number one priority. Saving his sister mattered more to him then anything else in his life.

Seeing a sudden movement near John and Shelly he gasped, but stayed where he was. They were too far away for him to help. There was nothing he could do.

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John saw something move out of the corner of his eye and automatically shoved Shelly aside and leapt at the unknown threat. It was a guard that was patrolling the grounds. Both men went down in a tumble of thrashing arms and legs, grunting in pain as they began to fight.

The other man was on top of him and John struggled to dislodge him. Using his knee he brought it up hard and fast, catching the other man in the groin. As he loosened his grip because of the pain John flipped him over his head and rolled on top of him. Delivering a quick brutal blow to the man's windpipe crushing it. The guard fell silent, killed instantly by the blow.

Shelly watched in silent horror as John and the other man fought. She was frozen in place by an overwhelming fear and couldn't move. As John killed his attacker Shelly was suddenly struck with the consequences of her decisions. Her decisions not only put others in danger but also forced others to kill because of her! Sick with shame she finally looked away, regretting ever getting involved with this scheme. Regretting that it in fact had been her idea and that if anyone died, good or bad, it was her fault.

"Shelly!" John hissed at her in a low voice. She was white as snow and was shaking violently. "Are you ok?"

Shelly looked at him with new eyes. She had known that he was FBI that he killed people. Had in fact seen it in her visions but seeing it first hand, seeing how fast someone could die really shook her up. She might have thought she was ready and could handle killing someone if necessary but she hadn't known, not really. Looking at John she wondered how he did it, how he lived with the fact that he had killed a human being. As she thought about all he had been through her respect and admiration for him grew. He really was a hero, not just because he was FBI but because he lived with the consequences of his actions and still tried to help others.

"Shelly!" John hissed again, it was almost time and they couldn't afford to have her zone out or freak out. There were too many lives at stake now.

Shelly blinked and really focused on him. "I'm fine John," she said, filled with determination that she would live up to his faith. She didn't want to let anyone down, get anyone killed. Pushing her fear aside she squared her shoulders and prepared to do her job.

John nodded at her, relieved that she was ok. She had scared him for a minute there. Focusing again on Michael he saw that it was almost time. He tensed his body and reached for his gun, waiting for the signal. So focused were they that they didn't hear the footsteps creeping up behind them, muted by the lush grass of the lawn.

"Drop the gun!" A voice commanded from behind them and John felt a gun barrel pressed to the back of his head. Glancing at Shelly he saw that she too had a gun to her head and her arms were up above her head. He dropped the gun and waited foe his next instruction. It came seconds later, "Turn around."

Both John and Shelly turned around and gasped loudly, "YOU! WHY?"

"We all do what we must to survive." Rex said with a shrug.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N I do not own John McBain or any of the other OLTL characters. All others are my own creation. Please don't sue cause I am broke and have nothing to be sued for anyway.**

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**Chapter 25**

Rex stood there as if he had not a care in the world, standing on either side of him were two guards from the estate. One man was dressed in full camouflage and the other was wearing black pants and a black jacket over a black shirt. Both were armed with automatic weapons and had them aimed at John and Shelly.

Shelly was shocked and confused but not for a minute did she believe that Rex had really turned on them. John on the other hand looked like he was convinced that Rex had played them. If Rex and his companions hadn't been holding a gun on him John would have surely killed the other man. "Herbie?" She asked, purposely not using his real name.

John heard Shelly call him Herbie and looked at her sharply. What kind of game were these two playing? Shelly was just as stunned to see him as he was, he would stake his life on it, so what was going on here? Deciding to go with Shelly's cue he said, "I knew you weren't to be trusted Herbie, I knew you would turn on us the minute you got the chance."

Rex felt terrible for this ruse but when he saw the two guards coming around the corner ready to spot John and Shelly he had intercepted them. Telling them that he had followed John and Shelly here he had convinced the guard they he was still on their side and the only way to prove it was to capture John and Shelly and bring them to the boss. Mr. Carpelli was actually here, at this minute, and was waiting for them.

"Hands up," camo guy said to John. Neither man was paying too much to Shelly, probably figuring she wasn't dangerous cause she was young and a girl. John continued to curse Rex but used the name Herbie. He was now pretty sure that Rex was up to something. He didn't know exactly which side Rex was on but on the off chance Rex was still on their side he wasn't about to break his cover.

"Herbie, you son of a bitch!" John threw at him, "I should have killed you when I had the chance! How could you do this? I trusted you, you bastard!"

"Walk," said the man in black prodding Shelly with the muzzle of his gun. She and John began to walk and soon they were lead to a side door of Lions heart. Shelly looked around memorizing everything. She wasn't sure what the plan was but she knew they would need to make a run for it once they rescued Natalie and knowing the lay of the land would make fleeing that much easier.

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Natalie crawled through the air ducts not knowing where she was going the dust and musty air playing havoc with her sinuses. "Aww-Cheeew!" She muffled the sneeze and stopped in her tracks and listened, praying that no one had heard that noise. Hearing nothing she continued to crawl through the ducts acutely aware of her surroundings. Any time now they would discover that she was not in her room and the alarm would be sounded.

"You'd think escaping a bunch of crazed mobsters would be a bit more fun," Natalie muttered to herself not enjoying her crawl through the ducts. In the back of her head and in her gut she couldn't help but feel she was forgetting something. She had some blanks in here memory since she had been kidnapped and that bothered her more then she would like to admit. She felt like she was missing something, and it felt like something big. She couldn't think of anything that she had lost or forgotten here so she kept crawling.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

John watched as Shelly walked beside of him into Lion's Heart. He kept trying to catch her eye so he could relay his intent to attack and disarm Camo guy. If he and Shelly attacked at the same time they stood a chance of getting away, that is unless Rex really was working for the other side, but that was a chance they would have to take.

Finally catching her eye he looked at her intently trying to relay his intentions. She gave a slight nod and he knew that she had understood his silent message. Walking further into the house he waited for the perfect moment to launch is attack.

Rex also saw the exchanged looks and breathed a sigh of relief. They had a plan. Lowering his gun slightly and stepping a little bit away from the 2 guards he waited. Preparing himself for John and Shelly's move, certain that Shelly knew that he hadn't betrayed them, he took a deep calming breath and reminded himself that with their help he would rescue his sister.

Coming to the second floor stairs John saw his opportunity and flashed Shelly a look. When she tensed up and nodded slightly John knew she understood and he spun around so fast he momentarily knocked camo man off balance. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rex step back and Shelly attack her guard. Gripping the rifle he yanked it away from camo man and gave him an upper cut in the jaw with it. Camo man went down with a startled yelp and John smashed the butt of the gun into his temple rendering him unconscious.

Shelly saw John take his man down while she knocked the gun from her guy's hand and traded blows. Using a karate moves she managed to get the upper hand but this guy also knew some karate and countered her kicks and punches. Fighting fast and furious she remembered a move from her pressure points book and decided to try that. Snaking her hand to the other mans neck she hit the point in the neck that controlled blood flow to the brain. Pressing hard in a quick move she blocked the flow of blood to the mans brain and he began to gasp and clutch at his neck. His nose began to bleed and his eyes rolled up into his head then he slumped to the flood, dead.

"Wow!" Shelly said in awe, "I can't believe that worked!" Looking at Rex she said, "Now what the hell is going on?"

John looked from the dead man to Shelly to Rex then back to Shelly, "Are you ok?" he asked, unable to believe she, his little sister, had just killed someone and didn't seem that upset by it. When she nodded and continued to look at Rex, clearly expecting an answer, John also looked at Rex and added his own voice to that demand, "Exactly what is your plan Rex!"

Before he had a chance to answer there was a loud crash and a muffled shout of pain. The three exchanged looks and raced toward the noise praying that it wasn't Natalie being mistreated. Running down the hall and bursting in the room on the left all three were shocked to see Natalie lying there on the floor covered in dust and unconscious. John raced in picked her up and turned around. "Come on! Lets go." He said firmly, unable to believe that they had found her this easily.

Adjusting Natalie in his arms he held onto her tightly and marveled at how right she felt in them. Shaking the whimsical thoughts out of his head he raced back down the hall and down the stairs, Rex and Shelly at his heels, praying that Michael and Cris were still keeping the other guards occupied and they didn't run into anyone.

Running out of the house and into the woods John kept going till he reached the car. Carefully lying Natalie on the seat he was worried that she hadn't regained consciousness. He looked around and noticed that while Rex was there and Shelly wasn't. "Rex!" he whispered loudly, "Where's Shelly?"

Rex was startled; in all the excitement and disbelief he hadn't noticed when Shelly had disappeared. "I don't know!" He began to look around frantically, he had his sister but where was Shelly? Just as he was about to go searching for her she ran up and jumped in the car next to the unconscious Natalie.

"Where the hell were you?" John asked as both he and Rex also got in.

"I was giving Michael and Chris their cue to leave." Shelly explained out of breath, both from running and from fright. This was the scariest thing she had ever done. "We need to get Natalie to the hospital John. She might be seriously hurt. But we have to use fake names." She told him though she knew he already knew that. She just couldn't seem to comprehend that they had done it, they had rescues Natalie and it hadn't been as hard as they had thought it would be.

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Still shell-shocked and stunned John, Rex and Shelly raced to the hospital. When they got there John threw the car in park jumped out and had the back door open and Natalie in his arms before Rex or Shelly could get out of the car. A second later Michael and Chris also zoomed into the parking lot and skidded to a stop right next to them as John practically ran into the hospital.

John followed by Rex, Shelly, Michael and Chris raced into the ER and placed Natalie on a stretcher. "Help, this woman needs help." John called out.

Bo Buchanan was walking out of Nora's room when he heard a commotion. Striding quickly to the ER he burst in to see if it was anything he needed to worry about. Seeing a group of young people and Michael McBain clustered around a stretcher calling for help hr decided to investigate. As he neared the stretcher he noticed a young woman lying unconscious on it. Taking a closer look he gasped in shock, it was Natalie! Vicki's daughter Natalie! "What's going on here?" he demanded wanting answers. The group looked up at him just as Natalie was wheeled into the closest examination room.

Each person wanted to know the exact same thing, each had questions that they needed answers for. Looking around to each other silently as they waited for news on Natalie's condition they marveled at all they had accomplished and pondered the questions they had that needed answers. Holding in their hearts the knowledge that before they could move on and be whole they needed to find those answers.

The End 

**Authors note: there will be a sequel. I just needed to end here so i could take the story in a different direction. The next one will be Jolie all the way. Well it will have some Michael/Chris and Rex/Shelly too.**


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